THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, January 21, 1997 TAG: 9701210223
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A5 EDITION: FINAL
DATELINE: CAPE CANAVERAL, FLA. LENGTH: 20 lines
His four-month space odyssey almost over, astronaut John Blaha, a graduate of Granby High School in Norfolk, took one last treadmill run in orbit Monday.
Space shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to bring Blaha home from the Russian space station Mir Wednesday morning after 128 days in space for the American.
``If he wants a vacation, he certainly deserves it,'' said Frank Culbertson, director of NASA's shuttle-Mir docking program.
Blaha, 54, a retired Air Force colonel, left Earth Sept. 16 aboard Atlantis. He lived on Mir with two Russian cosmonauts until last week, when the shuttle returned with his replacement, Dr. Jerry Linenger.
KEYWORDS: SPACE SHUTTLES ATLANTIS ASTRONAUTS