This launch took place from Baykonur on 14.05.1998 at 22.12.59 UTC (for Moscow already 15.05.1998). During the 3rd pass of Progress-M39 for our position it was clear that all went well. The Telemetry transmitters in the 166 and 165 mc bands could be monitored here between 0248 and 0251 UTC. During the 4th pass the signals in the 166 and 165 mc bands were very strong, those of the 922.755 mc beacon weaker than normal between 04.16.55 and 04.22.00 UTC. TCA (Time Closest Approach) was at 04.19.52 UTC. During flight day 2 the passes still took place during the night hours. I preferred to sleep that night. One of my English Kettering group friends monitored the Progress-M39 transmissions thus convincing us that the bird was still alive. In the course of Progress-M39-s flight day 1 the crew of Mir were involved in the following activities: 1st: Checking the TORU remote control system and performing some training with this system. 2nd: Observations of the departing Progress-M38.

Progress-M38:

This old freighter was separated from Mir-s aft docking port on 15.05.1998 at 1844 UTC. As of 1914 UTC TsUP executed some manoeuvres with the autonomously flying Progress-M38. The cosmonauts had to observe and film 4 impulses of the engines of Progress-M38. This happened during a window via Altair-2 and Musabayev reported his findings to a Georgiy at TsUP. In the beginning Progress-M38 flew in front of Mir with a gradually increasing distance. Now and then the cosmonauts lost sight of the freighter, but between 1944 and 1952 UTC a number of observations were possible. At 19.51.03 UTC, just before one of the impulses they again lost sight of Progress-M38. At the moment of the burn at 19.51.38 UTC Progress-M39 was exactly below Mir and the crew were able to see the fan-shaped flames coming out of the Progress-M38. Further plans foresaw in the despatching of Progress-M38 on a destruction course after the safe docking of Progress-M39 at the Mir-complex.

Approach and docking of Progress-M39:

On 16.05.98 at 23.50.34 UTC Progress-M39 docked at the aft (Kvant-1) docking port. Approach and docking took place in the automatic mode by the system Kurs. The communications via Altair-2 started at 2310 UTC. At that moment the distance was 4400 Meters, closing speed 12.8 M/sec. Only problem was that one of the displays did not work. Musabayev reported all movements, distances and closing rates. At 23.16.10 UTC the distance was 1980 Meters, closing rate 5.7 M/s. From that moment on M. started testing TORU. He reported the response of TORU on his commands and at 23.18.52 UTC he stated that the test had been accomplished and that the results were positive. At 23.22.30 UTC phone communications via Altair-2 stopped and a kind of test image emerged on my screen without any images of the station or ship. The phone channel parallel to the TV-channel was open, but not in use. At 2342 UTC the VHF downlink came in. M. was still reporting the data of the operation. Earlier he had said that he would continue reporting and recording this even if there should be an interruption of communications. The approach was still under the control of Kurs, but M. was ready to take over by TORU. He regularly stated: all is going well, no panic, no emergency, no instructions. The VHF window closed at 23.42.50 UTC at a distance of 148 Meters. At 23.46.45 UTC Phone was back via Altair-2, but the report of the 'kasaniye' (first contact) reached TsUP via VHF out of my range. Just before Altair-2 was switched off Musabayev reported that the recorder had been turned off. I waited for the next VHF window. Altair-2 communications were not resumed. During the window in orbit 69918 , 0114-0123 UTC, M. reported that all was well and that they continued the post docking operation according to schedule (cyclogram) and Board Documentation. Then I went to bed, I was too tired to wait longer and used my time switch for the passes still to come. During the pass in orb. 69919, 0247-0257 UTC M. reported that the air-seal checks did not give problems and that they already had opened the hatches to Progress-M39. There came a very strong airstream out of the freighter with the nice smell of apples. All was clean and the first object they had seen in the Progress-M39 was a huge guitar. No radio traffic during the following passes.

Misunderstanding in MirNEWS.421:

I mistakenly took the planned melting of an Optizon sample as something to do with one of the station's KOB loops. Please forget the sentence with this subject. My apologies for the caused confusion and thanks to those American friends who have put me back on the right track.

Chris v.d. Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202.