May 26, 2000: Chris v.d. Berg reports on the Mir commercial venture in his Mirnews.481 report.
May 15, 2000: Chris v.d. Berg reports on the Mir 28 Crew EVA in his Mirnews.480 report.
May 8, 2000: Chris v.d. Berg reports on the preparations for the upcoming EVA by the Mir 28 Crew in his Mirnews.479 report.
April 28, 2000: Chris v.d. Berg reports on the undocking of the Progress M1-1 vessel and the docking of the Progress M1-2 in his Mirnews.478 report.
April 17, 2000: Chris v.d. Berg reports on the Mir 28 Crew expedition in his Mirnews.477 report.
March 31, 2000: Chris v.d. Berg reports on the launch preparations for the crew in his Mirnews.474 report.
February 24, 2000: Chris v.d. Berg reports on the status of Mir and the recent Progress flight in his Mirnews.473 report .
Feb 9, 2000: Mir was boosted again for the second time in two days to a 355 x 349 km orbit based on a Feb 9 elset.
Feb 7, 2000: Mir was boosted again early on Feb 7 to a 329 x 320 km orbit based on the latest elset from OIG for Feb 7 at 12:52 UTC and a one minute late observation by an observer on SeeSat-L .
James Oberg reports additional details on the next two-man Mir crew to be launched and activities aboard Mir.
December 29, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg reports on the status of Mir and elaborates on the two possible plans to de-orbit Mir by mid-2000 or keep it in orbit past 2000 in his Mirnews.472 report.
Mir's orbit was briefly raised on December 8 and 9, 1999 by the Progress
vessel. An additional burn occurred on Jan 25, 2000 which raised the orbit from
308 x 302 km to 324 x 302 km.
Information from SeeSat-L can be found here and here .
Additional specific
information is provided by SpaceCom news.
Graphs of Mir's
altitude over a period of time can be found at NASA's Office of Space Flight.
December 6, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.471 reports the fate of Mir in 2000 is still unsure.
November 3, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg reports in Mirnews.470 on Mir's BUPO movement control system.
September 6, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg reports in Mirnews.469 on the RSA plan to put Mir into "free drift" starting on September 7.
August 29, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.468 has additional information on the crews departure.
August 25, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.467 has additional information regarding the preparations the Mir crew are taking in leaving Mir soon.
August 17, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.466 reports on the preparation of the Mir crew departing Mir on August 27 and landing on August 28.
August 11, 1999: A view of the moon's shadow as photographed by Jean-Pierre Haignere aboard Mir at 10:13 UT while over Europe during the total eclipse can be found here .
August 10, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.465 reports on the installation of the new docking and orientation computer aboard Mir. This computer will allow better control of Mir when a crew is not onboard.
July 29, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.464 reports on the final EVA conducted by Afannassiyev and Avdeyev on July 28th during which a previously erected antenna was deployed and then disconnected from Mir.
July 24, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.463 reports on the EVA conducted on July 23 which was not fully successful.
July 19, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.462 reports on the recent docking of the Progress M-42 cargo vessel to Mir.
July 17, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.461 reports on the upcoming docking of the Progress M-42 cargo vessel.
July 12, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.460 reports on upcoming Progress launch for July 14 and the upcoming EVA. He also provides information on the slow air leak aboard Mir.
April 13, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.459 reports on the docking of Progress M-41 and the upcoming 1st EVA by the Mir 27 Crew.
April 2, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.458 reports on launch of Progress M-41 that occurred on April 2 at 11:29 UT. The Progress supply vessel docked to the forward (-x axis) end on April 4 at 12:46 UT.
February 28, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.457 reports on the landing of the Soyuz TM-28 and activities during the last 10 days.
February 22, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.456 reports on the docking of the Mir 27 Crew.
February 20, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.455 reports on the launch of the Mir 27 Crew on Soyuz TM-29.
February 8, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.454 reports on movement of the Soyuz TM-28 vessel by the Cosmonauts from the forward docking port to the aft Kvant 1 docking port on Feb 02.
February 5 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.453 provides additional information on the failure of the Znamya mirror experiment.
February 3, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.452 reports on some of the aspects of the upcoming Znamya mirror experiment for Feb 4.
January 30, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.451 reports on the recent orbital boosts and the upcoming Znamya mirror experiment aboard Progress M-40.
January 15, 1999: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.450 reports on recent on-going activities aboard Mir.
December 27: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.449 reports on the recent reboost of Mir by the Progress M-40.
December 21: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.448 reports on plans to reboost Mir, launch of the Mir 27 Crew in February and other activities aboard Mir.
December 4: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.447 reports that the Leonid showers on Mir produced no known affects.
November 11: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.446 reports on the latest EVA by the Mir 26 crew and the release of a new small radio amateur satellite (Spoutnik 41 or RS-18) during the EVA.
November 2: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.445 reports on the de-orbit of Progress M-39 and the upcoming manual launching of a mini-sputnik by hand during the upcoming November 10 EVA to install French experiments outside of Mir.
October 27: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.444 reports on the undocking of Progress M-39 and the docking of Progress M-40.
October 25: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.443 reports on the launch of Progress M-40 and the departure of Progress M-39.
October 23: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.442 reports on the tentative plans to launch Progress M-40 and a close encounter with another satellite.
October 11: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.441 provides reports on Mir routines.
September 30: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.440 reports that Mir activities continue to be normal. Progress M-40 launch may be delayed for 10 days to October 25, 1998.
September 16: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.439 reports that the Mir 26 Crew successfully performed repairs inside the depressurized Spektr module on September 15, 1998 thus allowing one of the operable solar arrays (out of a total of three on Spektr) to track the sun so more power can be produced.
September 14: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.438 reports on the upcoming IVA inside the Spektr module that will probably start Sept 15 at around 21:00 UT.
September 1: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.437 reports on the docking of Progress M-39 and the upcoming IVA inside the Spektr module.
August 29: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.436 reports on recent re-docking of Soyuz TM-28, communication problems with Altair-2 and the expected docking of the Progress M-39 vessel. The Mir 26 Crew redocked the Soyuz TM-28 at Mir's forward -X axis at 06:07 UT on August 27.
The Mir 25 Crew (Musubayan, Budarin had been in space 207 days) and Baturan undocked from Mir on August 25 at 02:05 UT and landed near Arkalyk, in northern Kazakstan on August 25 at 05:23 UT. The Mir 26 Crew of Padulka and Avdeyev remain on board Mir. Padulka or Avdeyev may remain onboard Mir till June 1999, with the other member returning in late February 1999.
August 25: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.435 reports on the landing of the Mir 25 Crew and future moves of the Soyuz TM-28 and Progress M-39.
August 16: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.434 reports on
the manual docking of Soyuz TM-28 and the Mir 26 Crew on August 15, 1998 at
10:56 UT.
Progress M-39 was undocked and was leading the Mir complex.
August 13: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.433 reports additional details on the undocking.
August 4: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.432 reports on happenings aboard Mir and provides information on the next two crews to Mir before being de-orbited in June 1999. Chris also wonders out loud how successful the planned entry will be given the mass, size and possible loss attitude control of the Mir complex.
July 24: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.431 reports on recent activities aboard Mir and the deployment of a "mirror" planned for Progress M-40 late this year or early next year. The BBC also covered this story. Since this report, Florida Today is reporting that this project has been cancelled due to lack of funds.
July 7: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.430 reports that additional crews will be launched to Mir up-until July 1999. The report provides recent activities aboard Mir.
June 28: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.429 reports on recent activities aboard Mir and the concern that the Mir 25 crew may be the last to occupy Mir. A new launch date has been tentatively set for the Mir 26 crew, if in fact they are launched.
June 18: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.428 reports on recent activities aboard Mir.
June 9: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.427 reports on the undocking of Discovery with Mir.
June 5: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.426 reports on the docking of Discovery with Mir.
June 3: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.425 reports on communication status prior to docking of Discovery and Mir.
June 3: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnew.424 reports on recent activities including restoring normal attitude control.
June 1: It is not known if the Mir crew was successful in returning normal
attitude control using Mir's computer and gyrodynes (electrical) instead of
manual control using Mir's and Soyuz's TM-27 engine (requires fuel). On May 30
the computer that controls Mir's attitude using the gyrodynes was lost. This
results in use of manual attitude control by engines and the need to turn off auxiliary
systems due to reduced electrical power and drain on Mir's batteries as
attitude and orientation of solar arrays cannot be precisely controlled for optimum
solar electrical generation.
The computer that initially failed was the last one replaced back in January
1999. Installation of a spare backup computer also failed. If normal attitude
control can not be attained by launch day (June 2) for STS-91, the launch will
have to be delayed. Latest reports had Mir's batteries fully charged and this
can be attributed to Mir being in almost constant sunlight during it's full
orbit.
May 31: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.423 reports on past activities including a loss of normal attitude control that started on Saturday May 30.
May 17: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.422 reports departure of Progress M-38 and the arrival of Progress M- 39.
May 11: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.421 reports on recent activities aboard Mir.
April 28: Chris v.d. Berg in Mirnews.420 reports on recent activities aboard Mir following the EVAs.
April 22: Chris v.d. Berg reports in Mirnews.419 dated April 22 reports on the successful installation of a new VDU engine on the Sofora Mast during the 5th EVA.
April 17: The 4th EVA for the Mir 25 crew started at 07:40 UT and was completed on April 17 after 6 1/2 hours preparing for the installation for the new VDU engine on the 14 meter Sofora Mast. Details of the EVA can be found in Chris v.d. Berg's report Mirnews.418 for April 17.
April 11: The third EVA was completed on April 11, between 09:55 and 16:20 UT with the removal and ejection of the depleted VDU engine on the Kvant's Sofora Mast. The next scheduled EVA on April 17 is to begin with the installation of a new engine replacement. Chris v.d. Berg provides additional details in Mirnews.417.
April 6: The second EVA was completed on April 6 with the installation of a second set of handholds and bracing of the damaged solar array. Chris v.d. Berg provides additional details in Mirnews.416 dated April 7.
April 1: Chris v.d. Berg reports in Mirnews.415 dated April 2 on the Mir 25 Crew's first EVA.
March 27: Chris v.d. Berg reports in Mirnews.414 on recent activities and upcoming EVAs.
March 17: Chris v.d. Berg reports in Mirnews.413 on the successful docking of Progress M-38 on March 17, 00:31 UT and deorbit of Progress M-37 on March 15, at 23:06 UT.
March 15: Chris v.d. Berg reports in Mirnews.412 on the comings and goings of Progress vessels and recent repair activities aboard Mir.
March 14: Vladimir Agapov on SeeSat-L reports that Progress M-38 was successfully launched at 22:45:55 UT.
March 5: ABC News reports that the Kvant 2 outer airlock door has been repaired. An extra spanner wrench was found and the stuck lock was loosened by the crew.
March 3: Chris v.d. Berg reports in Mirnews.411 on the unsuccessful EVA on March 3.
March 2: Chris v.d. Berg reports in Mirnews.410 on the upcoming EVA and launching of Progress M-38.
Feb 23: Chris v.d. Berg reports in Mirnews.409 on the re- docking of Progress M-37.
Feb 21: Chris v.d. Berg reports in Mirnews.408 on the recent activities onboard Mir, including the move of the Soyuz TM-27, recent problems with auxiliary systems and the upcoming docking of the Progress M-37 using either the auto (KURS) or manual (TORU) docking systems.
Feb 19: Mir Crew 24 and Eyhart made a winter landing in Arkalyk, Kazakstan (50.2 N/67.5 E) at 09:10 UT on Feb 19, 1998 in their Soyuz TM-26. Undocking occurred at 05:52:50 UT, with the de-orbit burn at 08:16:38 UT as reported by Vladimir Agapov on SeeSat-L. Chris v.d. Berg reports in his Mirnews.407 on the undocking and landing along with upcoming activities.
Feb 9: Chris v.d. Berg reports in Mirnews.406 on the brief loss of attitude control on Feb 4, 1998 while Endeavour was docked.
Feb 1: Chris v.d. Berg reports in Mirnews.405 on the undocking of Endeavour with Mir and the docking of the Soyuz TM-27 with the Mir 25 Crew.
Jan 29: Vladimir Agapov provides details on the launch and docking of Soyuz TM-27 and the undocking of Progress M-37 on SeeSat-L .
Jan 25: Chris v.d. Berg reports in Mirnews.404 on the docking of Endeavour with Mir.
Jan 16: Chris v.d. Berg reports in Mirnews.403 on the most recent EVA on Jan 14.
Jan 14: EVA 7 started at 21:12 UT on Jan 14 and was completed four hours later. Dave Wolf almost didn't get to go as there was a known problem with the outer air-lock on Kvant 2 and the original space suit provided to Wolf was not fully operational. NASA finally relented to allow Wolf to go when alternate plans were reviewed in case the outer air-lock failed to seal and a backup previously used Russian suit checked out okay. Further details can be found on ABCnews and the BBC . The Kvant 2 air-lock is still losing pressure, but at a slower rate. Repairs will not be attempted until the Mir 25 Crew take over command of Mir.
Jan 10: Ria-Novosti reports that working conditions inside the Kvant 2 module have returned back to a shirt-sleeve environment now that the outer hatch on the Kvant air-lock is holding pressure just slightly below the pressure of the Mir complex. The reported difference is attributed to a lower temperature in the air lock where no heating is provided. Reportedly, a primary locking device failed to reach the pressure plate to allow engagement. So far the only report on corrective actions having taken place to ensure that this primary locking device will work again in the future is in Jonathan's Space Report No.346 for Jan 11 in which mention was made of a bolt found loose that was subsequently tightened.
Jan 8: The Russian Mir crew successfully conducted a three hour space walk to stop the air leakage on the outer air-lock hatch on Kvant 2. Chris v.d. Berg's Mirnews.402 report indicates that an auxiliary set of "locks" on the outer hatch were engaged to ensure a seal without having to replace the outer hatch seal. The primary and auxiliary series of "locks" actually dog the hatch shut to seal the hatch. Any further additional repairs can be done from within the airlock without performing another EVA just for the airlock. The next EVA involving Dave Wolf and Commander Anatoly Solovyev is still tentatively scheduled for Jan 14 at 20:40 UT. Although a primary lock that originally failed is now functioning again, it is doubtful that NASA will allow Wolf to be involved in the planned EVA until the failure mechanism is understood regarding the primary set of "locks".
Jan 3: Reuters News reports that attitude control has been returned back to normal on Mir.
Jan 2: Chris v.d. Berg elaborates on the recent problems aboard Mir in his Mirnews.401 report.
Jan 2: Mir's main computer malfunctioned again causing an inability of the solar arrays to automatically track the Sun. Recovery normally takes about 24 hours while electrical loads are reduced to minimum to support startup of the gyrodynes that control the attitude of Mir. Further information can be found at CNN .
Dec 30: Mir had been in constant sunlight since Christmas and conditions
were getting warm and humid with the recent breakdown of a refrigeration unit
used to cool and dehumidify the complex. The oxygen generators have had to be
shutdown and a backup method using oxygen generating candles is being used to
control the atmosphere aboard Mir. Starting Dec 30, Mir will begin entering the
Earth's shadow for longer periods. Further information can be found in the FPSpace
archives .
Because of the increased workload aboard Mir, the EVA has been pushed back to
Jan 14.
Dec 22: Chris v.d. Berg in his Mirnews.400 report for Dec 22 mentions activities on board Mir regarding the Inspector satellite, departure of Progress M-36 and arrival of M-37, a freon leak on Mir and a change of plans regarding the upcoming EVAs.
Dec 22: Progress M-37 docked with Mir at 10:22 UT carrying 2 1/2 tons of supplies. Further details can be found on Florida Today .
Dec 20: Vladimir Agapov on SeeSat-L reports that Progress M-37 was launched on Dec 20 at 08:45:02 UT into a 193 x 249 km orbit.
Dec 19: Vladimir Agapov on SeeSat-L reports that the de-orbit burn for Progress M-36 took place on Dec 19 at 13:20 UT.
Dec 17: Vladimir Agapov on SeeSat-L provides additional details on the separation of Progress M-36, launch of the Inspector subsatellite and launch of Progress M-37. Florida Today reports the test of the Inspector failed.
Dec 16: Chris van den Berg provides updates on the upcoming events for Spektor, Progress M-36 and M-37 in his mirnews.398 (Dec 16) and mirnews.399 (Dec 17) reports.
Dec 5: Chris van den Berg provides another update on planned Mir activities in his mirnews.397 report.
Nov 22: There was another computer failure in which Mir lost attitude control. By Nov 24 evidently things were back to normal again. Use the Yahoo link in the "Information Links" section below for further details. Chris van den Berg provides an update in his mirnews.396 report dated Nov 24.
Nov 20: The MCSA solar array test was conducted again without incident. Work continues on placing the second CO2 removal system in service.
Nov 14: There was a power surge on Mir at around 18:00 UT during testing involving the MCSA solar array on Kvant-1. This resulted in the temporary lost of the attitude computer. Many electrical loads are shutdown to conserve power until Mir is in the proper attitude to allow the solar arrays to recharge the batteries and allow startup of the attitude control gyrodynes.
Nov 11: The Russian Mission Control Center reports that the crew have resumed a number of scientific experiments on Mir now that power levels have reached sufficient levels to power up all scientific experiments.
Nov 6: EVA 5 was completed with the installation of the RSA on Kvant 1. This RSA was delivered by Atlantis ( STS-74) in November of 1995 during the Mir-2 mission. The EVA commenced 00:12 UT and ended at 06:36 UT. The internal connections to the new array still have to be connected before verifying success. Further details can be found on various news sources including ABC News.
Nov 3: Chris Vandenberg in mirnews.394 reports that the cap was removed from the vent line that was installed temporarily on EVA 4 on Nov 3. Sputnik 40 has been catalogued by USSTRATCOM as 24958/97058C.
Nov 3: EVA 4 was completed but started two hours late due to monitoring problems with one of the spacesuits. The 1/3 scale model of Sputnik 1 (Sputnik 40 or RS-17) with radio transmitter (145.820/145.840 mHz) was launched by hand . It is estimated to have a brightness of mag +9 at 600 km. This would require the use of binoculars or a telescope to view it under ideal conditions. Radio monitoring indicates it is leading Mir slightly. A visual observation on Nov 5 by James Byrd indicated a magnitude 10 object leading Mir by a small distance.
Nov 3: Chris Vandenberg in mirnews.393, reports the solar array on Kvant 1 was removed and stowed on the baseblock. A vent line was capped externally so a valve could be installed inside on the line to allow startup of a new CO2 scrubber.
Oct 24: Reports from NASA say that two of three good solar arrays on Spektr are now tracking the Sun.
Oct 24: The internal EVA inside Spektr was completed after 6 hours and 38 minutes, but 1 of 6 cables could not be connected as planned. If the five connections are good, then two of the remaining three good solar arrays on Spektr will be able to be controlled automatically to follow the Sun. The one remaining good solar array will remain fixed. It is expected that this will result in a 30% increase in electrical output from the remaining three operable arrays on Spektr. ABC News has some details.
Oct 8: Progress M-36 has successfully docked at the Kvant module (+axis or rear of Mir) at 17:07 UTC. It brings to Mir, besides water, fuel and food, a spare attitude control computer, a spare oxygen generator igniter, the mini Sputnik-1 satellite and a German/Russian made satellite inspector.
Sept 26: STS-86 docks with Mir.
Sept 22: Chris v.d. Berg reports in mirnews.395 another main computer failure (the 5th since July) on Mir. With Mir in free drift, power production is once again reduced. In addition, as reported by Florida Today , the crew has observed an unexplained brown cloud outside the Mir complex.
Sept 17: Conditions on Mir have returned to normal as reported by Florida Today .
Sept 14: Once again Mir's main computer had crashed for reasons unknown placing the complex in a reduced electrical mode requiring that attitude be manually maintained by the Soyuz's attitude control system. By Sept 15 the computer had been restarted but many systems remain powered down until a decision is made on what repairs can be made to the computer. In addition, the Mir crew manned the Soyuz vessel during a close encounter with another satellite on Sept 15. Details of the incident are provided by ABC News.
Sept 9: Conditions created by the Sept 8 computer failure were returning to normal on Mir following repairs made to Mir's main computer. Florida Today provided some details on that recovery.
Sept 8: For the third time since July, the main computer on Mir shutdown resulting in loss of normal attitude control. Loss of attitude control results in serious reduction of electrical output by the solar arrays. Most electrical systems have to be shutdown in order to reduce the drain on station's batteries until attitude control is regained using either the Progress vessel, Soyuz or the thrusters on the Mir complex itself. Florida Today provides some information.
Sept 6: The six hour EVA by Solovyov and Foale that ended at 07:08 UTC didn't reveal the location of breach on the Spektr module although a 1 inch gap was revealed at the base of the Spektr solar array. The seal in the base appeared intact but additional testing would be required to rule it out. The radiation monitor installed by Jerry Linenger on Kvant 2 last April was retrieved by Foale. There was not enough time to cap a CO2 vent line from the Vozdukh CO2 removal system on the core module. Two of the three operating solar arrays on Spektr were manually adjusted for a better sun angle. Florida Today had good coverage during the EVA.
Aug 26: There are reports that the oxygen generator on Kvant was operating again before the crew went to sleep last night. In addition, the crew replaced the igniter on the backup oxygen system so that the oxygen candles were available for use again in case the primary system became inoperable.
Aug 25: NASA reported late today (Aug 25) that both the primary and secondary means of generating oxygen were not working. The primary means is using one of two Elecktron oxygen generators and the secondary means is using the oxygen generating candles. It was reported earlier that the elecktron generator on Kvant had overheated and was shutdown. The other generator on Kvant 2 does not have any power available.
When the crew fell back on using the oxygen candles, the first failed to ignite in the container used to hold the high temperature candle. Supposedly, no further action was taken when the crew was ordered to rest for the day. Recent reports from the Russian Space Agency state the oxygen generator on Kvant was restarted successfully. There are some repair parts on board for the generator that holds the candles. The full story will probably not be known until early on Aug 26 when the crew comes back on line from their rest period.
Aug 22: The internal EVA is over after 5 hrs and 4 minutes. Apparently very successful, the cosmonauts still have a lot of work ahead of them in the re-pressurized transfer node before stopping work for the day. It will be a couple of more days following verification testing before the power from Spektr's solar arrays flow to Mir's batteries.
Aug 20: Conditions on Mir have return to more normal. Ten gyrodynes are back on line to control the attitude of Mir. An oxygen generator and CO2 removal processor are back in service. Preparations continue for the internal EVA on Aug 22.
Aug 18: While the Progress M-35 was being manually docked, the computer that controls (among other things) the attitude of Mir via the gyrodynes failed, putting Mir in free drift. This results in loss of power generation by the solar arrays and power reduction to only certain critical components. attitude will have to be controlled using either the Progress, Soyuz or Mir engines and this means consumption of limited fuel reserves. Startup of the gyrodynes, once the Mir batteries are fully recharged, will take a couple of days. It is believed that the scheduled internal EVA for Aug 20 will be move backed 2-3 days.
Aug 18: The Progress M-35 vessel has re-docked with Mir's Kvant module at 12:53 UTC. The docking was performed manually.
Aug 15: NASA in their Mir 24 Crew status report stated that the Elecktron oxygen generator on Kvant is back in service after the crew unblocked the hydrogen vent line.
The Mir 24 Crew re-docked the Soyuz TM-26 on the Mir Transfer Module at 14:13:06 UTC, Aug 15.
Aug 14: Florida Today reports on the landing of the Mir 23 Crew in Kazakstan at 12:16 UTC.
The Mir 23 Crew in their Soyuz TM-25 undocked from the Mir's Kvant module (+x axis) at 08:56:58 UTC on Aug 14 (reported by Vladimir Agapov on SeeSat-L).
Aug 7: The Mir 24 Crew have successfully manually docked their Soyuz TM-26 with Mir at 17:02:08 UTC as reported by Vladimir Agapov on SeeSat-L and by Florida Today . At 18:32 UTC the hatch was opened between Soyuz TM-26 and the Kvant module and the Mir 24 Crew joined the Mir 23 Crew.
Aug 6: Progress M-35 (24851/1997-033A) undocked from Mir at 11:46:45 UTC. It will fly at some distance from Mir.
Aug 5: The Crew of Mir 24 launched at 15:35 UTC.
The July 30 Press Conference from the Mir 23 Crew is provided by Florida Today .
July 27: In an update on the STS-86 crew web site dated July 27, 1997 it was mentioned that analysis of photos and telemetry following the collision suggests more than the Spektr module may have been damaged. Additional observations will be made by the Mir 24 crew with Soyuz TM-26 and by the crew of STS-86.
July 19: The Mir 23 Crew received news today that the Mir 24 Crew will perform the Internal EVA after the Mir 23 Crew return to Earth. Mike Foale will be stationed in the Soyuz decent module as planned earlier, while the Soyuz orbital module will be depressurized during the EVA. Florida Today has some details.
July 3: The STS-86 crew have updated the Mir status on their web page and the configuration that will be used during the Internal EVA. In addition to the transfer node, the orbital module on the Soyuz will be depressurized during the activity, while Mike Foale waits in the lower pressurized Soyuz recovery module in his space suit.
A summary of tasks (not a fixed schedule) are outlined from Energia along with a couple of diagrams, regarding restoring power on Mir.
July 2: Progress M-34 re-entered the South Pacific at approximately 06:30 UTC.
July 1: Florida Today provides notes on the NASA Mir briefing.
June 29: Gyrodynes coming up on-line on Mir; Florida Today provides notes from the NASA briefing on June 29.
June 28: Conditions slowly improving; Florida Today provides another NASA briefing on Mir for June 28.
June 27: Florida Today provides informative notes taken on June 27 during the NASA news conference.
June 26: Florida Today provides an update on the status of Mir.
One scenario being considered to improve electrical generation is installing a new hatch for Spektr in the interconnection module that would have electrical penetrations to bring power from the remaining three Spektr solar arrays. Although this would not involve an EVA, it would involve suiting up to enter Spektr depressurized via the air locks on the interconnection module.
Florida Today provides summary of June 26 NASA update news conference.
June 25: Notes for NASA's press conference regarding the collision by the Progress M-34 and Spektr module.
June 9: Florida Today reports another leak on the Kvant 1 cooling loop has been repaired.
May 15: STS-84 docks with Mir.
April 29: The EVA that started at 05:10 UTC and ended 5 hours later at 10:08 UT has accomplished all major objectives. An Optical Properties Monitor and a Radiation Meter have been deployed and two previously deployed Environmental Monitors have been retrieved. Further detail can be found in Chris v.d. Berg's report.
April 22: Reston Communications provides another updated report , along with editorial notes on the Life Support Systems on Mir. The Kvant's 2 operating oxygen generator has been running continuously, but at reduced efficiency. The CO2 absorption device operates at reduced efficiency. The Condensate Recovery System and Urine Processing System are not functioning.
NASA reports that reported worsening conditions on Mir due to ethylene glycol leaks on the cooling system by Russian news agencies recently are overstated. CBS News on the evening of April 22 reported that evacuation of Mir was imminent, but NASA in reports from Florida Today and the Houston Chronicle said that conditions were stable and evacuation was not imminent.
April 16: Florida Today reports that one of the oxygen generators is working again on Mir.
April 15: Vladimir Agapov reports that Mir made a re-boost at 12:46 UTC. The burn was for 137 sec with a 3 meter/sec delta v., probably using the Progress M34 cargo vehicle.
April 8: Progress M-34 successfully docked with Mir at 17:30 UT using the Kurs automatic docking system. Chris v. d. Berg provides details in his latest report.
April 4: Florida Today reports that repairs were made to Mir's cooling system on Friday to allow startup of the CO2 removal system on Saturday (if the patches to the cooling system hold).
Additional information regarding the recent shutdown of the CO2 removal system can be found on HoustonChronicle.
March 28: The latest Mir 23 status report for March 28 (Week 4) has the EVA re-scheduled for April 29 to allow time to unload the Progress M-34. Repair parts for one of the broken Elektron units will be on board the M-34. In addition, a replacement Elecktron unit will be carried on STS-84 for the May docking mission. Repairs have been made on one of the sensor units that is used to maintain attitude control on Mir. That sensor will remain as a back-up.
March 19: Apparently Mir underwent an attitude control and power generation problem. Some of the details can be found in an e-mail update from Frank Culbertson to NASA officials as provided by the Reston RIF group. The Mir 23 status report dated March 21 provides further insight to the problem. Normal attitude control and power generation were restored early on March 20. Although parts to repair one of the Elektron oxygen generating units will be on board the Progress M-34, it is not expected that either of the Elektron units will be fully operable. Oxygen generation will be continued to be supplemented by the chemical canisters. Additional canisters will be on board M-34.
March 12: Vladimir Agapov reports that Progress M-33 made a destructive re-entry burn at 02:35 UTC and impacted in the South Pacific (42.4S; 140.48W) at 03:23 UTC. Additional information can be found at Florida Today.
March 7: There are continuing problems with atmosphere control on Mir and continued communication delays with the degradation of geostationary satellite communications. Florida Today provided additional reports here and here on atmospheric control problems with the two Elektron electrolysis oxygen generating units. The crew is having to use the back-up oxygen generating system (a two month supply remains) that produces oxygen using lithium perchlorate canister generators and which created a small fire on Feb 23. NASA-TV's Mission Update reports that 3 canisters are used per day to maintain oxygen levels and there were 180 canisters visually inspected and found to be in good shape. Procedures have been reviewed and changed for generating oxygen using the canisters and use of the fire protection systems. A third, more limited system (5 day supply), utilizing bottled HP oxygen remains in reserve. If necessary, the attached Soyuz TM-25 remains available to return the crew.
March 5: Chris v.d. Berg reports further details of the failure of Progress M-33 to dock with Mir. In addition, he reports Mir is having communication problems with two geostationary Russian communication satellites (Altair-1/cat.no.20391 and Altair-2/cat.no.23426).
March 4: Vladimir Agapov reported that Progress M-33 made 3 maneuvering burns but failed to dock to Mir.
March 2: Vladimir Agapov reports that Soyuz TM-24 undocked at 03:24:57 UTC and landed at 06:44 UTC at 47.8N and 69.4E. All three crew members are reported in good health.
Feb 23: NASAnews and Chris v.d. Berg reports that a fire in an oxygen-generating device began at 19:35 UTC on Sunday Feb 23 and burned for about 90 seconds* forcing the crew to don breathing masks. The fire was located in Kvant 1. There were no injuries to any of the six crew members. Additional details can be found at Florida Today and in a later report by Chris v.d. Berg.
*After Jerry Linenger returned from Mir, there was a press conference in which the details of the fire were made known. The fire had lasted at least 15 minutes before being extinguished.
Feb 12: The Mir 23 crew has successfully manually docked with Mir at 15:52 UT.
Feb 10: The Mir 23 crew were successfully launched on their Soyuz TM-25 at 14:09:30 UTC from Baykonur.
Feb 7: Soyuz TM-24 has moved from its position on the forward -x axis during 16:30-17:10 UT to the rear +axis position on Kvant 1 vacated by Progress M-33.
Feb 6: The Progress M-33 vehicle has undocked from the rear +axis of the Mir complex at 12:10 UTC and will stay nearby until the Soyuz TM-24 departs for a landing with the Mir 22 Crew on March 2.
Jan 12: The Mir 5 mission with STS-81 took place.
Dec 9: A second EVA took place. Information on the outcome, which resulted in the US designed solar panels being placed in service ,restoration of the amateur radio antenna, and installation of a Kurs automatic docking antenna on the Kristall module to allow Soyuz and Progress docking on the +z and -z docking ports without changing the attitude of Mir can be found here and here .
Dec 2: An EVA on Mir was conducted. Information on the outcome can be found here and here .
Follow this link to return back to the Mir Space Station page.
Links: to the VSO Home Page, the observing guide itself, observing the shuttle, the Mir-shuttle program, the International Space Station program, the satellite predictions themselves.
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