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| S P E C I A L | Repairing Mir |
Mir crew takes well-earned rest
Station plugged in again after risky repairs
August 23, 1997
Web posted at: 9:42 a.m. EDT (1342 GMT)
Latest developments:
- Cosmonauts take a break
- Crew may get head start on Monday's work
- Repairs done in the dark
- Related stories and sites
(CNN) -- The two cosmonauts aboard Russia's space station were taking a break Saturday and Sunday after a difficult, but successful, mission to reconnect 11 cables leading to electricity-generating solar panels in Mir's battered Spektr module.
"I think this is a super day. We carried out everything we set out to do, and more," NASA astronaut Michael Foale, also on Mir, told Mission Control in a radio exchange. "Well done, everybody."
The repairs undertaken by cosmonauts Anatoly Solovyov and Pavel Vinogradov started two hours behind schedule because of two problems.
A schematic diagram of Mir's repair mission
First, there was a leaking hatch in the docking chamber outside Spektr. Then Flight Engineer Pavel Vinogradov -- who was inside the module -- discovered a leak in the joint between one of his gloves and the rest of his spacesuit. A replacement glove was found.
After the problems were resolved, the repairs seemed to go smoothly. The reconnected cables still must be hooked up to the rest of Mir, and systems tested, before full power is turned back on. That work was to resume Monday.
According to Russian space officials, up to five space walks may be needed to completely fix the Spektr.
Crew may get head start on Monday's work
The cables were disconnected after Spektr lost pressure in a crash with a cargo craft June 25. Since then, Mir has been running on about 60 percent of its normal power, curtailing science experiments and a few life-support systems.
Some fans began running as the cosmonauts reconnected the cables, and a vacuum cleaner -- apparently left on in the rush to seal off Spektr -- roared to life.
"It was an outstanding effort. We're very pleased with the results," said Jim Van Laak, NASA's deputy manager for the Mir program.
Although the three-man crew was to rest Saturday, officials said curiosity might inspire them to test some of the cables leading from the Spektr hatch.
"They may decide to use some of their personal time to get a head start on this," Van Laak told a news briefing.
The cosmonauts aboard Mir completed their first spacewalk Friday. CNN's John Holliman explains how things went.
Repairs done in the dark
Working in a tight space by artificial light, rookie cosmonaut Vinogradov managed to reconnect the cables and retrieve records and other items -- including the vacuum cleaner -- floating around Spektr since the crash.
Vinogradov also said he saw white crystals flying around the darkened module.
"I think it's my shampoo," said Foale, who lost all of his personal belongings in June -- his toothbrush, sports shoes, computer and other items -- when Spektr was sealed off. He had preferred to sleep in the module rather than his tiny cabin in the main module. Replacements were brought the next month.
Vinogradov and mission commander Solovyov, who assisted from just outside the entrance to Spektr, sealed a new hatchway to the module before reuniting with Foale.
During the repairs, Foale manned Mir's Soyuz transport capsule in case something went wrong and the trio had to escape.
The crew checked Spektr for damage caused by the June collision but did not find any puncture. Vinogradov said he found Spektr "in good order."
The crew had to repressurize the docking capsule twice, first to fasten the leaking hatch and again when Vinogradov got the new glove.
The spacewalk took three hours and 16 minutes, said NASA's Jerry Miller, with about two hours of that time devoted to reconnecting the power cables.
Correspondents John Holliman, Betsy Aaron and Moscow Bureau Chief Jill Dougherty contributed to this report.
· MIR MAIN PAGE · RELATED SITES · HISTORY ·
· TIMELINE · GALLERY · SOYUZ · CREW · REPAIR MISSION ·
- CNN In-Depth: Space
- Video Almanac: 1996 - Mir and Atlantis dock
- Video Almanac: 1986 - Soviets launch Mir
- Message Board: Repairing Mir
Related stories:
- Mir plugged in again - August 22, 1997
- Crucial Mir spacewalk under way- August 22, 1997
- Mir crew rests ahead of Friday's spacewalk - August 21, 1997
- Mir crew ready for unprecedented repair mission - August 20, 1997
Related sites:
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- American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology
- Russian Space Science Internet
- Russian Space Research Insstitute (IKI)
- NASA Shuttle-Mir Web
- Keith's MIR Page
- ISS Phase I - Space Station Mir
- Russian Space Agency
- MIR Space Station - Maximov Online
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