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Atlantis readies for Saturday docking with Mir
September 27, 1997
Web posted at: 12:42 p.m. EST (1742 GMT)CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (CNN) -- Anxious ground controllers monitored space shuttle Atlantis Saturday as it hurtled toward a docking with Russian space station Mir. There were no reported problems just hours before the delicate maneuver.
If all goes as planned, Atlantis is to dock with Mir at 3:55 p.m. EDT (1955 GMT) about 250 miles (400 km) above Earth.
Packed with crucial supplies and a replacement U.S. astronaut, Atlantis was 370 miles (592 km) behind Mir when the seven-member shuttle crew was awakened by a recording of Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark."
"It's time to do that delicate dance in the dark and dock with Mir," Mission Control said. But employees there had little time to boogie.
The shuttle was closing in on Mir by 140 miles (224 km) with every orbit of the planet. Shuttle commander Jim Wetherbee and pilot Mike Bloomfield were to fire the shuttle's maneuvering jets to slow the approach to a near crawl.
A test Friday of the shuttle equipment that will be used during the linkup, including laser finders and a docking port protruding from the Atlantis' cargo bay, went well.
"Everything checked out just fine," flight director Paul Dye said. "We expect to be docked and opening the hatch sometime in the early or mid-afternoon."
A computer failure would threaten docking
NASA flight controllers, meanwhile, kept a close eye on the computer that controls Mir's position in space. The computer has failed three times in the past three weeks, and it could jeopardize the tricky docking.
A computer failure with Atlantis more than 30 feet from Mir would scuttle the docking. But once the shuttle gets closer than that, any instability by the station would be too slight to cause a problem, NASA and Russian flight directors said.
The faulty computer is to be replaced once Atlantis arrives with a new one. All in all, the crew will drop off more than 5,000 pounds of repair gear, science experiments and sealant for holes caused by Mir's June 25 collision with a cargo ship. Atlantis also is hauling food and will replenish the station's dwindling fresh water supply.
Wolf ready to move into his home-away-from-home
Once docked, U.S. astronaut David Wolf is to replace Michael Foale aboard the aging Mir. During his tenure on the orbiting station, Foale endured the nearly catastrophic collision and repeated life-support equipment breakdowns, among other calamities.
Wolf didn't get the final go-ahead from NASA for his four-month stay until hours before Thursday night's launch. Mounting pressure from members of Congress and others has forced NASA to reconsider allowing Americans to stay on Mir. But so far, NASA plans to continue with the joint venture with the Russians.
Besides the collision, Mir has been plagued by numerous problems in the past year, including a life-threatening fire, leaking coolant and the failure of oxygen generators and a carbon dioxide-removal system.
Wolf, a 41-year-old-doctor-engineer, isn't worried. He says the stay aboard Mir is no different than any other space flight and that he plans to carry out the mission the same way he does his flying: "Do it carefully and don't cross the line."
"I'm concerned as I would be in any other space flight. But the Mir's in excellent condition to my mind and I'm looking forward to being over there," he said Friday.
· MIR MAIN PAGE · RELATED SITES · HISTORY ·
· TIMELINE · GALLERY · SOYUZ · CREW · REPAIR MISSION ·
Related stories:
- Atlantis up and away to Mir - September 25, 1997
- NASA: Wolf will go to Mir - September 25, 1997
- Mir faces sun again, computer glitch fixed - September 16, 1997
- Report: Conditions on Mir much worse than thought - September 12, 1997
Related sites:
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- Text of Goldin's statement
- NASA Shuttle-Mir Web- official NASA site for U.S. astronauts and their activities aboard the Russian Mir Space Station
- NASA Office of Inspector General
- ISS Phase I - Space Station Mir - contains graphics and specifications of the diferent areas of MIR
- Russian Space Agency - homepage of the Russian Space Agency through the NASA site
- Russian Space Research Institute (IKI)
- MIR Space Station - news, research, history, images and links from Maximov Online
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Additional Coverage:
- CNN In-Depth: Space
- Video Almanac: 1996 - Mir and Atlantis dock
- Video Almanac: 1986 - Soviets launch Mir
- Message Board: Repairing Mir
Watch these shows on CNN for more sci-tech stories:
CNN Computer Connection | Future Watch | Science & Technology Week
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