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| S P E C I A L | Repairing Mir |
Mir crew rests up for spacewalk
September 5, 1997
Web posted at: 3:58 p.m. EDT (1958 GMT)(CNN) -- The crew of the Russian space station Mir was counting down to the start of a six-hour spacewalk Friday night in which two crew members will locate and inspect damage to the Spektr module.
U.S. astronaut Michael Foale and cosmonaut Anatoly Solovyov, the most experienced space-walker, plan to begin the walk at 8:55 p.m. (0055 GMT).
They plan to photograph the puncture made in June when Spektr collided with a cargo ship. The accident caused a major loss of power, and forced the crew to seal the module off from the rest of the orbiting outpost.
While NASA officials said the spacewalk was only moderately dangerous, they were taking precautions to make sure it goes smoothly. As on every spacewalk, major safety hazards are sharp edges on the outside of the station that could rip the spacewalkers' suits.
The walk was postponed for two days while Foale received additional training. The U.S. space agency, which has been monitoring Mir's safety following months of constant crisis, waited until Thursday to give Foale the final go-ahead.
Every minute of the lengthy mission has been carefully planned, from the moment Foale leaves Mir's Kvant-2 module feet-first to the moment he and Solovyov retrieve a radiation monitor outside the airlock on their return.
NASA says Foale prepared for mission
Frank Culbertson, director of NASA's shuttle-Mir program, said the biggest concern is that the equipment works well. Foale's ability to do the spacewalk is not a major concern for NASA, he told CNN's John Holliman Friday morning.
"We feel that Mike's very well prepared for this -- he spent a lot of time training in Star City before his flight, before Jerry's (astronaut Jerry Linenger) flight, and he also spent a lot of time training in orbit," Culbertson said. "We've gotten good confirmation from both him and the Russians that he's doing an excellent job preparing for this."
Primary duty is to find Spektr leak
Foale will be the first to leave the Kvant-2 module, followed by his tool kit and then Solovyov. They will hook themselves to a boom -- a long, sturdy pole -- last used by Linenger in his spacewalk a few months ago.
Foale will use the boom to swing himself and Solovyov from one end of the space station to the damaged Spektr module. Culbertson said the pole makes it easier for the crew to move around outside, and helps them avoid obstacles like antennas and solar arrays.
"There are a couple of specific target areas," said NASA spacewalk director Greg Harbaugh. "There's one in proximity to the radiator, and one in proximity to the damaged solar array."
If the leak is found quickly, the spacewalkers will install handrails on Mir to make the repair easier. The crew will have to return at a later date to repair the damage they find.
Solar panels to be adjusted
The duo also will adjust Spektr's solar panels so they can capture the sun's rays.
The crew reconnected the panels last month, but the motor pointing them at the sun does not work. When operating properly, the panels supply electricity for experiments and life-support systems inside Mir.
Once those tasks are completed, the two will return to the airlock, stopping to install a vacuum cap so they can install a new carbon dioxide scrubber inside. And finally, time permitting, they will pick up radiation monitors attached just outside the Kvant-2 airlock by Linenger on his April 29 spacewalk.
Job to be done on little sleep
Despite the complexity of the mission, Foale and Solovyov were getting only three hours of sleep before beginning their mission. Russian mission control said they will be adequately rested to perform the walk properly.
"Don't worry. Mission control officials have calculated their abilities, and they have enough strength to do this work," said spokeswoman Irina Gorishnikova. "They will rest beforehand and after the spacewalk have a long time to rest."
· 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:
- U.S. astronaut gets go-ahead for Mir spacewalk - September 4, 1997
- Former Russian Mir crew may be fined for June collision - September 2, 1997
- Mir crew prepares for external spacewalk - September 1, 1997
Related sites:
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- Oxygen candles from NASA's Mir pages
- American Society for Gravitational and Space Biology
- Russian Space Science Internet
- Russian Space Research Institute (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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