Cosmonauts aboard the Russian Mir space station wave as an inflatable bottle of champagne floats below them December 31. As the orbiting cosmonauts raised the plastic bottle of champagne to toast the New Year, Russian space officials expressed relief that the most difficult year in the Mir space station's history had ended safely. (L-R) Flight engineer Pavel Vinogradov, U.S. astronaut David Wolf and Mir flight director Vladimir Solovyov.

SPACE RUSSIA