Encyclopedia Astronautica
Mir NASA-1

Crew: Lucid. First American aboard Mir for extended stay. Backup crew: Blaha.

STS-76 docked with the Mir space station on 24 March 1996. Shannon Lucid was left on Mir for an extended stay on the first NASA Mir mission.

On September 19 STS-49 Atlantis docked with the Russian Mir space station. Aboard Atlantis in the payload bay were the Orbiter Docking System, the modified Long Tunnel, and the Spacehab Double Module, containing supplies for the Mir. Astronaut John Blaha relieved Shannon Lucid as NASA resident on the complex. Atlantis undocked from the Mir complex on September 23 at 23:33 GMT. Valeriy Korzun, Aleksandr Kaleri and John Blaha remain on Mir. On September 26 Atlantis closed its payload bay doors, and at 11:06 GMT fired its OMS engines for a three minute long deorbit burn. After entry interface at 11:42 GMT the spaceship flew across Canada and the US for a landing at the Kennedy Space Center's Runway 15 at 12:13 GMT.

AKA: Atlantis; STS-76 (Lucid).
First Launch: 1996.03.22.
Last Launch: 1996.09.26.
Duration: 188.17 days.

More... - Chronology...
Associated People
  • Blaha Blaha, John Elmer (1942-) American test pilot astronaut. Flew on STS-29, STS-33, STS-43, STS-58, Mir NASA-2. Flew 361 combat missions in Vietnam. More...
  • Lucid Lucid, Dr Shannon Matilda Wells (1943-) American biochemist mission specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-51-G, STS-34, STS-43, STS-58, Mir NASA-1. Biochemist, first American woman to make a long-duration space station mission. More...
  • Godwin Godwin, Dr Linda Maxine (1952-) American physicist mission specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-37, STS-59, STS-76, STS-108. Physicist. Was married to astronaut Steven Nagel. More...
  • Clifford Clifford, Michael Richard Uram 'Rich' (1952-) American test pilot mission specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-53, STS-59, STS-76. US Army More...
  • Sega Sega, Dr Ronald Michael 'Ron' (1952-) American engineer mission specialist astronaut. Flew on STS-60, STS-76. Was married to astronaut Bonnie Dunbar. More...
  • Chilton Chilton, Kevin Patrick 'Chili' (1954-) American test pilot astronaut. Flew on STS-49, STS-59, STS-76. More...
  • Searfoss Searfoss, Richard Alan 'Rick' (1956-) American test pilot astronaut. Flew on STS-58, STS-76, STS-90. More...
See also
Associated Flights
  • STS-76 Crew: Chilton, Clifford, Godwin, Searfoss, Sega. Shuttle-Mir Mission 3. First American EVA on Mir space station. More...
  • STS-79 Crew: Akers, Apt, Readdy, Walz, Wilcutt. Carried Spacehab Double Module, containing supplies for the Mir. More...
Associated Programs
  • Mir The Mir space station was the last remnant of the once mighty Soviet space programme. It was built to last only five years, and was to have been composed of modules launched by Proton and Buran/Energia launch vehicles. These modules were derived from those originally designed by Chelomei in the 1960's for the Almaz military station programme. As the Soviet Union collapsed Mir stayed in orbit, but the final modules were years late and could only be completed with American financial assistance. Kept flying over a decade beyond its rated life, Mir proved a source of pride to the Russian people and proved the ability of their cosmonauts and engineers to improvise and keep operations going despite all manner of challenges and mishaps. More...

Mir NASA-1 Chronology
1996 March 22 - . 08:13 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39B. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. LV Configuration: Space Shuttle STS-76.
  • STS-76 - . Call Sign: Atlantis. Crew: Chilton; Clifford; Godwin; Lucid; Searfoss; Sega. Payload: Atlantis F16 / Spacehab-SM. Mass: 6,753 kg (14,887 lb). Nation: USA. Related Persons: Chilton; Clifford; Godwin; Lucid; Searfoss; Sega. Agency: NASA Houston. Program: Mir. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spaceplane. Flight: STS-76; Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. Spacecraft: Atlantis. Duration: 9.22 days. Decay Date: 1996-03-31 . USAF Sat Cat: 23831 . COSPAR: 1996-018A. Apogee: 398 km (247 mi). Perigee: 394 km (244 mi). Inclination: 51.7000 deg. Period: 88.80 min. Shuttle-Mir Mission 3. Docked with the Mir space station 24 March 1996; Shannon Lucid was left on Mir for an extended stay. First American EVA on Mir. Payloads: SPACEHAB/Mir 03; KidSat; Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) II, Configuration M; RME 1304—Mir/ Environmental Effects Payload (MEEP); orbiter docking system RME 1315; Trapped Ions in Space Experiment (TRIS); Extravehicular Activity Development Flight Test (EDFT) 04.
  • Spacehab-SM - . Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: Mir. Class: Manned. Type: Manned space laboratory. Flight: STS-76; Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. Spacecraft: Spacehab. Decay Date: 1996-03-31 . USAF Sat Cat: 23831 . COSPAR: 1996-018xx. Apogee: 398 km (247 mi). Perigee: 34 km (21 mi). Inclination: 51.6000 deg. Period: 88.80 min.
  • External Airlock/ODS - . Payload: EAL/ODS. Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: Mir. Flight: STS-76; Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. Decay Date: 1996-03-31 . USAF Sat Cat: 23831 . COSPAR: 1996-018xx. Apogee: 398 km (247 mi). Perigee: 34 km (21 mi). Inclination: 51.6000 deg. Period: 88.80 min.
1996 March 27 - . 06:34 GMT - .
  • EVA STS-76-1 - . Crew: Godwin; Clifford. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.25 days. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Godwin; Clifford. Program: Mir. Class: Manned. Type: Manned space station. Flight: STS-76; Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. Spacecraft: Mir. Summary: Attached MEEP materials exposure experiment to outside of Mir (retrieved on STS-86)..
1996 March 31 - .
1996 April 2 - .
  • Mir News 296: American EVA outside Mir - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. The EVA made by Clifford and Godwin on 27.03.96 lasted 6 hrs and 2 mins. The Mir crew experienced this EVA passively: their involvement consisted of observing and filming the event through some portholes. It was not easy to cover all activities of the American astronauts fully. They could see a part of the EVA through a porthole in de airlock of Module-D. The best view they got was through the porthole of the cabin of the board engineer in the Base Block. During the EVA the communications went via American channels. On the EVA frequency 279.000 mc Clifford and Godwin could be heard now and then. The same transmissions could be heard via the CNN relay from a TDRS. The Americans installed the experiments on the outer surface of the Docking Compartment at the Kristall-module. (The Russians speak about the 'SO'. The 'O' stands for Otsek, which means 'compartment'. So the do not speak about 'module'.) Atlantis-Mir-combination: During the period in which Atlantis and Mir were linked together many activities took place during the night in our area. We were lucky that this was not so during the EVA, which took place during our morning hours. The operations during the precursor flights cast a gloom over the future. It becomes obvious who will be in command during the flight of the International Space Station: undoubtedly this will be the Americans. Immediately after the docking the Americans took over the attitude control of the whole complex, and most of the communications and the control of the operations were theirs. Undocking of Atlantis. This took place on 29.03.96 at 0108 UTC. After the undocking Atlantis made a flight around the Mir complex and moved away at abt 1 hour later. Onufriyenko could be heard on the Mir-frequencies 130.625 and 143.625mc speaking about the attitude (movements-) control of the Mir station which was now under full control of FCC Kalingrad again. (TsUP-M). The transmissions of the images from Mir about the Atlantis were relayed by tracking stations inside Russian territory.

    Mir: The passes of Mir for our area take place during the night hours and so there is not much to report about the life on board. Module Priroda: The launch of this module has been put back again. Latest available planned launch date: 23.04.1996. Chris v.d. Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202

1996 April 15 - .
  • Mir News 297: Mir - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. Plans for the near future:

    The first operation will be the launch of the module Priroda. The Russians want to launch this module on 23.04.1996, but further delay might be possible. In fact all is ready for that launch, but specialists responsible for the power supply of that module want to be sure that the accumulators are fully reliable if unexpected the Priroda has to fly longer than the estimated period between launch and docking. The Priroda has not been equipped with solar panels and if the accumulators show failures there are no alternatives. That is why the experts responsible for the power systems and energy consumption take more time for tests. The dates for some important operations can be set only after the launch and successful docking of Priroda and the redocking thereafter. Priroda has to dock to the forward axial port (-X axis) and will be repositioned from there to the radial port (+Z axis). After this the date for the launch of the freighter Progress-M31 can be determined.

    2d Spacewalk (EVA) 21st Main Expedition Mir: Possibly this operation will be executed in May this year. The cosmonauts will have to transfer one of the solar panels which have been brought to Mir by Atlantis (STS-74) and who are still attached at the outer surface of the Docking Compartment (SO - so not Docking Module. SO stands for 'Stykovochnyy Otsek'). They will have to transfer that solar panel to the astrophysical module Kvant-1 (Module-E). During this operation they will use the 2d Strela, which they installed during their first EVA. With this 2d Strela-crane they have the possibility for movements between the SO and the Kvant-1. Originally the Russians planned to install on Kvant-1 the solar panel which is still at the outer surface of the Kristall-module, but they preferred the installation on Kvant-1 of a brand new one. The Russians hope to accomplish this task during that 2nd EVA, but they are ready to insert a 3rd EVA if necessary. The solar panels which have been brought to Mir on the outer surface of the SO will not be deployed from there, but will be used on parts of the Mir-complex.

    VDU: This abbreviation stands for External Engine Installation. This is the box, which can be seen in the top of the long Sofora mast which has been erected on Kvant-1. Nobody was sure about the use or the usefulness of that engine. In an interview Thomas Reiter told me that this VDU often is used for the orientation of the complex during periods in which the gyrodynes have to be silenced for repositioning. These gyrodynes cannot turn through 360 degrees and so now and then repositioning is necessary. There is a problem for the future: when the fuel of the VDU has been spent refuelling will not be possible. Perhaps the Russians hoped that fuel would be sufficient for the VDU at least until the end of the operational life of Mir in 1997 or 1998. So if they want to prolong the use of Mir by some years they will have to find a way to refuel that VDU or to install a new one.

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

1996 April 22 - .
  • Mir News 298: Launch Priroda - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. The planned launch date/time for the Module Priroda is 23.04. 1996 at 11hrs 48mins 43secs UTC. If all goes according to plan the Priroda will dock to Mir (forward docking port transition section -P.Kh.O.-, -X axis) on 26.04.1996 at 1203 UTC.

    Priroda: The module for remote sensing Priroda is also known as TsM-I and 77KSI. In space Priroda has a mass of 19.5 tons. The mass of the payload is 10.5 tons, among which 1.2 tons as a supplement for the equipment of the Mir-complex, the remote sensing equipment has a mass of 4.7 tons and Priroda can transport 1.8 tons cargo. The original planning foresaw in a solar array in the front of Priroda (axial), but the place of the array is now used for the installation of extra equipment and experiments. So during the autonomous flight Priroda has to depend on the nickel cadmium accumulators for her power supply. Priroda must have an active lifetime of more than 3 years.

    Cargo: Priroda will also deliver additional equipment to the Mir station, experiments for Shannon Lucid and the SAFEX-2 transceiver for radio-amateur activities.

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

1996 April 23 - . 11:48 GMT - . Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: Baikonur LC81/23. LV Family: Proton. Launch Vehicle: Proton-K. LV Configuration: Proton-K 385-01.
  • Priroda - . Payload: 77KSI s/n 17401. Mass: 19,000 kg (41,000 lb). Nation: Russia. Agency: RAKA. Program: Mir. Class: Manned. Type: Manned space station. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. Spacecraft: Priroda. Decay Date: 2001-03-23 . USAF Sat Cat: 23848 . COSPAR: 1996-023A. Apogee: 347 km (215 mi). Perigee: 220 km (130 mi). Inclination: 51.6700 deg. Period: 89.89 min. Summary: LEO. Remote sensing module for Mir space station Docked with Mir Apr 26. .
1996 April 24 - .
  • Mir News 299: Launch Priroda - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. The Priroda module blasted off from Baykonur on 23.04.1996 at 11.48.50 UTC, so 7 secs later than planned.

    During the first day the flight went well, all systems functioned normally. On 24.04 two orbit corrections will be executed to bring Priroda in a higher orbit. This will also be done on 25.04. After the corrections on 25.04 the orbit must have an apogee of 404 KM and a perigee of 358 KM. On docking day (26.04) the last 2 orbit corrections will take place.

    Estimated day/time of docking:

    On 26.04.1996 at 12.43.00 UTC. So the soft docking (Kasaniye) will take place just a few minutes after LOS of both objects for our position during the first pass over here in Mir's orbit 58195 and Priroda's orbit 48. So there might be traffic from Mir about the approaching Priroda between 1233-1238 UTC. Undoubtedly the Russians will use the eastern geostationary satellite (Altair-2 on 96 dgs East) for communications, but mostly during such operations traffic can also be monitored on VHF. Possibly it might be worthwhile to monitor Mir/Altair-1 windows in the period before approach and docking.

    Repositioning of Priroda: If the docking on 26.04.1996 will be successful the repositioning of Priroda will take place on the next day, 27.04.1996. Priroda will be repositioned by a manipulator arm (the Lyappa) from the forward port of the transition section (P.Kh.O.), -X axis to the radial port of that section, +Z axis.

    Progress-M31: The launch date of this freighter depends on the docking- and repositioning operations with Priroda. If this all goes according to plan Progress-M31 will be launched on 8.05.1996.

    Safex-2: In fact this complete radio-amateur station has been installed in Priroda and does not belong to the cargo transported by that module. For this radio station 3 antennae have been installed on Priroda.

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

1996 April 26 - .
  • Mir News 300: Priroda successfully docked with Mir - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. After an automatic approach guided by the system Kurs Priroda linked up with Mir complex on 26.04.1996 at 1243 UTC. Quite an achievement to aim and dock a mass of 20 tons (like a huge locomotive) with a precision of less than millimetres. Priroda can take a breath for a while at the forward axial docking port of the transition section (P.Kh.O.). During the first pass of both objects for our position in Mir orbit 58195, 1235-1239 UTC, it was obvious that there were no intentions to switch over to the manual remote control TORU. At 123530 UTC Onufriyenko reported that Priroda was hovering for a while in a distance of 182 M and that all was going well. From that distance Priroda started the final stage of the approach and flawlessly docked with Mir. Just like during the whole autonomous flight the Telemetry transmitters of Priroda in het UHF band could be monitored. During the passes after the docking these transmitters remained active. Reason for this is the fact that Priroda will remain electrically autonomous until the accomplishment of the repositioning to the +Z axis.

    On 27.04.1996 at 0800 UTC Priroda will remove itself with a manipulator arm (the Lyappa) to the +Z axis. After that operation the airseal can be checked before the opening of the hatches. The repositioning will take place out of our range.

    A part of the cargo of Priroda consists of biological experiments for the production of clean medical preparations and 900 KG equipment and experiments for the American astronaut Shannon Lucid. Priroda has been equipped by a lot of equipment for scientific research of the earth (all kinds of devices and camera's for remote sensing) and the atmosphere.

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

1996 April 30 - .
  • Mir News 301: Priroda - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. On 27.04.96 Priroda has been redocked from the -X to the +Z axis. This operation began at 0830 UTC and lasted app. 2 hours. During the first pass of the complex for our position (orb. 58211, 1310-1319 UTC) the cosmonauts just finished the airseal checks and opened the K.V.D., the valve for the equalisation of the pressure. The cosmonauts also took air samples of the atmosphere inside Priroda for analyses. Just before LOS (Loss of Signal) for our position the hatch to Priroda was opened.

    Power supply problems: Radio traffic during 27, 28 and 29.04.96 revealed that the cosmonauts worked on problems regarding the power supply of Priroda. After the redocking Priroda will get power from the S.E.P. (power supply system) of the Mir complex.

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

1996 May 4 - .
  • Mir News 302: Progress-M31 - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. The launch of this freighter has been put forward to 5.05.1996 at 0704 UTC. If all goes according to plan the freighter will link up with Mir on 7.04.1996 at 0853 UTC.

    Spacewalk (EVA): It might be possible that the 2d EVA of the crew of the 21st Main Expedition to Mir will be put forward too. The date 8.05 has been mentioned, but the exact date still has to be determined.

    Priroda: The repositioning of this module on 27.04. took place between 0830 and 0920 UTC, so considerably shorter than originally reported.

    SAFEX-2: This radio-amateur station on board Priroda cannot be used before the Priroda is unpacked and fully operational.

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

1996 May 5 - . 07:04 GMT - . Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: Baikonur LC1. LV Family: R-7. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U.
  • Progress M-31 - . Payload: Progress M s/n 231. Mass: 7,140 kg (15,740 lb). Nation: Russia. Agency: MOM. Program: Mir. Class: Manned. Type: Manned logistics spacecraft. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. Spacecraft: Progress M. Duration: 88.56 days. Completed Operations Date: 1996-08-01 20:32:45 . Decay Date: 1996-08-01 20:32:45 . USAF Sat Cat: 23860 . COSPAR: 1996-028A. Apogee: 390 km (240 mi). Perigee: 376 km (233 mi). Inclination: 51.7000 deg. Period: 92.20 min. Unmanned resupply vessel to Mir. Delivered 1,140 kg of fuel and 1,700 kg of cargo to the Mir complex. Docked with Mir on 7 May 1996 08:54:19 GMT. Undocked on 1 Aug 1996 16:44:54 GMT. Destroyed in reentry over the Pacific on 1 Aug 1996 20:33:03 GMT. Total free-flight time 2.23 days. Total docked time 86.33 days.
1996 May 7 - .
  • Mir News 303: Launch Progress-M31 - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. The freighter Progress-M31 was launched from Baykonur on 5.05.96 at 07.04.18 UTC. During the following passes within our range the TLM and Bcn transmitters on 166, 165 and 922 mc could be monitored.

    On the 2d day of the flight again signals from Progress-M31's transmitters.

    Docking Progress-M31: On 7.05.1996 at 08.54.17 UTC Progress-31M docked automatically at the forward axial docking port of the Mir-complex (-X axis). During the first pass over here of both objects in orb. 58364 (1016-1026 UTC) Onufriyenko could be heard reporting data of the approach. He was following the approach on the screen of the TORU (remote guidance from the inside of Mir) monitor. He was ready to take over the guidance if necessary or ordered by TsUP. On the screen he could see the docking port where Progress-M31 had to dock.

    Opening of the hatch: Already during the next pass in orb. 58365 they accomplished the airseal checks and opened the hatch at 10.25.11 UTC, so within our range.

    Cargo: This has a mass of 2410 KG and consists of the normal cargo delivered by Progresses: water, fuel, letters, equipment, repair material etc.

    Spacewalk (EVA): The next EVA of this crew is on schedule for 18 or 19.05.1996.

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

1996 May 17 - .
  • Mir News 304: 2d Spacewalk (EVA) crew Mir's 21 Main Expedition - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. This EVA will be the 1st of a series of 3, still to be done by this crew. The EVA will begin on 20.05.1996 at 2255 UTC (opening of the hatch) and end on 21.05.1996 at abt. 0400 UTC (closing of the hatch). During this EVA a solar panel will be transferred from the Docking Compartment, DC, to the astrophysical module Kvant-1 (Module-E). This solar panel had been delivered together with that DC by Atlantis in November 1995. The cosmonauts Onufriyenko and Usachov will transport themselves and the solar panel using the 2d Strela girder, which they installed on Kvant-1 during their first EVA on 15.05.96. The solar panel is folded up and will only be installed on Kvant-1. The deployment and tests will take place during the next EVA. During passes in which the EVA might still be going on EVA-traffic can be monitored on 143.618 and 130.165 mc. (21.05.96 from 0340-0349 UTC and possibly during pressure equalisation of the airlock between 0515-0525 UTC).

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

1996 May 21 - .
  • Mir News 305: 2d Spacewalk (EVA) crew 21st Main Expedition to MI - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. The EVA began on 20.05.96 at 2250 UTC (opening hatch) and ended on 21.05.96 at 0410 UTC (so duration 5 hrs 20 mins.). During the EVA all went well and that what the crew had to do has been accomplished for 100% . The crew transferred a solar battery from the outside of the docking compartment (SO) to the Kvant-1 (Module-E). For their work the cosmonauts used the 2d Strela girder.

    Radio traffic between the cosmonauts and Sannon Lucid who kept watch on board Mir went via the normal VHF-frequencies and was relayed via the geostationary satellite Altair (Kosmos-2054) on 16 dgs West. Shannon assisted the cosmonauts during the putting on and off of their spacesuits. During the EVA she took care for the systems of the space station and the communications.

    3d EVA: This is on schedule in the night from 24 to 25.05.96. Opening of the hatch on 24.05 at 2050 UTC, closing of the hatch on 25.05.96 at 0205 UTC. During this EVA the cosmonauts will deploy, connect and test the solar panel on Kvant-1.

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

1996 May 21 - . 22:50 GMT - .
1996 May 25 - .
  • Mir News 306: 3d Spacewalk (EVA) crew 21st Main Expedition Mir - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. The cosmonauts Onufriyenko and Usachov made this EVA between 24.05 at 2047 UTC and 25.05 at 0230 UTC. This EVA lasted somewhat longer than planned, but all went well. The cosmonauts installed the new solar panel on the outer surface of Kvant-1, connected the contacts and attended the deployment of that panel. This was also a good performance. During the last phase of the EVA radio traffic went via Altair-1 (Cosmos-2054) and the known VHF-frequencies. After returning inside Mir the cosmonauts expressed their satisfaction about the good co-operation with TsUP during this work and also about the very good construction of the new solar panel.

    4th EVA: This EVA is on schedule for 30.05.1996 between 1900-2100 UTC. Main task will be the transfer of the MOMS (opto-electronic stereo scanner) to the outer surface of the Priroda module and the installation of this device over there. The MOMS has been delivered to Mir as a part of the cargo of the Priroda. Apart from this work they will also have to accomplish some minor tasks.

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

1996 May 25 - . 20:47 GMT - .
1996 May 30 - . 18:20 GMT - .
1996 May 31 - .
  • Mir News 307: 4th Spacewalk (EVA) Onufriyenko and Usachov - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. This EVA started on 30.05 at 1820 UTC (opening of the hatch) and ended on 30.05. at 2240 UTC (closing of the hatch). The MOMS-2 camera (Modular Opto-electronic Multi-spectral/ Stereo scanner has been installed on the outer surface of the module Priroda. The 2d task was the installation of an extra handrail outside Priroda to facilitate EVA's. The EVA passed without problems.
1996 June 5 - .
  • Mir News 308: 5th Spacewalk (EVA) Onufriyenko and Usachov - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. This EVA is planned for 6.06.1996 between 1655 UTC (opening hatch) and 1930 UTC (closing hatch). During this EVA the cosmonauts will work at the outer surface of module Spektr and module Kvant-2 ('D'). On Spektr they will replace the cassette of the Komza-experiment. Then they will retrieve some American and Russian dust collectors from Module Kvant-2 ('D').

    6th EVA Onufriyenko and Usachov:

    This EVA will take place on 13.06.1996. Times not decided yet. During this EVA the cosmonauts will install Ferma-3 (a girder or truss construction) at the outer surface of the astrophysical module Kvant-1. Experience with constructions like these are very important for the future. They will be used for the building and exploitation of the International Space Station Alpha.

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

1996 June 6 - . 16:56 GMT - .
1996 June 7 - .
  • Mir News 309: 5th Spacewalk (EVA) Mir-crew - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. This EVA took place on 6.06.1996 between 1656 UTC (opening of the hatch) and 2030 UTC (closing of the hatch). At the outer surface of the Module Spektr they replaced a cassette of the KOMZA-experiment (a Swiss experiment for the study of inert interstellar gasses) and at the outside of Module-D (Kvant-2) they installed some detectors for space dust and space debris: an American instrument and the SKK-11, a Russian made device. The EVA lasted 1 hour longer than had been planned. Onufriyenko and Usachov needed for their work and movements considerably more time than had been foreseen in the so called cyclogram for this EVA. During the EVA communications took also place via the geostationary satellite Altair-1 (Cosmos-2054). Now and then the EVA cosmonauts gave instructions to Shannon Lucid who was on duty inside the complex and observed the EVA through portholes.

    6th EVA: Still on schedule for 13.06.96. Times not yet decided. Task: Installation of the Ferma-3 girder construction at the outer surface of the astrophysical module Kvant-1.

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

1996 June 13 - .
  • Mir News 310: 6th Spacewalk (EVA) Mir-crew - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. This EVA began earlier than planned on 13.06.96 at 1245 UTC (opening of the hatch) and lasted until 1827 UTC (closing of the hatch). They had to accomplish some very strenuous tasks: the installation and deployment of the Ferma-3 girder construction at the outer surface of the Kvant-1 module and the repair of the Travers-antenna (the huge SAR antenna on the module Priroda). They deployed the 4 sections of the Ferma-structure until the desired length of 5 meters. The Travers radio locator antenna had not been fully deployed by commands from inside the module Priroda and so Onufriyenko and Usachov completed this manually during their EVA. The Travers is now operational. After this work they made their way back to the airlock of Module-D. This was not easy and went slowly. (It is the last straw that can brake the camel's back). Back on board the cosmonauts quickly recovered and expressed their satisfaction about the accomplished tasks but also about the assistance they got from Shannon Lucid being on command inside the complex. She had been busy with camerawork and used all available films and cassettes. TsUP also thanked her for her work during the EVA. This has been the last EVA planned for this crew. The next EVA has to be made by the next crew in September this year.

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

1996 June 13 - . 12:45 GMT - .
1996 July 4 - .
  • Mir News 311: Progress-M32 - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. The launch of this freighter has been put back again and is now on schedule for 22.07.1996. The Progress-M32 has to deliver new supplies of water, fuel, oxygen, food, etc. to the Mir-space station. The reason for this delay are two failures with the Soyuz-U rocket, which also is used for the launches of Progress-M ships.

    Soyuz-U: Within the period of some weeks 2 launches of reconnaissance satellites with the carrier Soyuz-U failed. The first time this was on Baykonur on 13.05. 49 seconds after lift off the payload fairing came loose and the control-system gave the command for self-destruction. The commission to investigate the accident failed to find a unanimous conclusion. 4 different possibilities had been suggested even the rather bizarre idea that a big bird collided with the rocket. Normally all launches of analogue rockets are suspended until the experts know for sure the cause of the accident. This time they did not wait until a definite conclusion and launched another spy-satellite, now from Plesetsk using the rocket Soyuz-U. And again exactly after 49 seconds the fairing came loose and rocket and satellite were destroyed. This time the commission started a thorough investigation, which is still going on. So possibly the launch of the freighter Progress-M32 will be put back again.

    Mir-routine: Life goes on: the 2 Russians and Shannon Lucid are still in a very good mood. They do not seem to worry about the 'rocket' problems. The relief crew for Onufriyenko and Usachov has to fly with the Soyuz-TM24 on 14.08.1996. This crew consists of the Russians Manakov and Vinogradov and de French cosmonaut Claudie Andree-Deshays. For this launch a modified rocket, the Soyuz-U2 is needed. Financial problems might put a spoke in the wheel. During the last week Shannon Lucid worked with the Glove box. She met some problems with contacts and switches but resolved these by the help of an expert at TsUP Moscow. Shannon Lucid will be relieved by John Blaha during the 4th Shuttle-Mir docking mission STS-79 by Atlantis in the beginning of August.

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

1996 July 9 - .
  • Mir News 312: POSSIBLE CHANGES IN PLANNING NEAR FUTURE - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. During the launch of Columbia on 20.06.1996 hot gasses leaked through the insulation of the rocket boosters. This might cause a month's delay in the launch of Atlantis -STS-79- 4th docking mission with Mir. During radio traffic from Mir Shannon Lucid confirmed that she takes into account the possibility that she might return in the first week of September. During the mission of Atlantis Lucid has to be relieved by John Blaha.

    Soyuz-TM24: Shannon Lucid also said that the Russians still stick to the launch of this ship on 14.08.1996 with Manakov, Vinogradov and Claudie Andree-Deshays and the return of Onufriyenko and Usachov together with the French guest-cosmonaut on 30.08.1996 with the Soyuz-TM23. So possibly Lucid will be in the Mir-station during the mission of Andree-Deshays.

    Progress-M32: If there will be permission for the use of the rocket Soyuz-U before 21.07.1996 this freighter will be launched from Baykonur in the night from 21 to 22.07.1996.

    Just before the deadline for this report the press-service of TsUP near Moscow did not have information about changes and sticks to the original schedule: Launch Atlantis: 31.07.1996, Launch Progress-M22: night from 21. to 22. 07.1996, and Launch Soyuz-TM24: 14.08.1996.

    Moscow confirmed that changes might be possible.

    Chris van den Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202

1996 July 14 - .
  • Mir News 313: Atlantis - STS-79 4th Mir Docking mission. - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. On 11.07.96 the NASA decided to take a decision about the flight of Atlantis next week, but already within 24 hours NASA decided to postpone the launch of Atlantis until the midst of September. For that flight Atlantis will be equipped by the boosters used before the use of the modified boosters which have been used during the launch of Columbia on 20.06.96. So Shannon Lucid will have to stay on board of the Mir-station 1.5 month longer. She will be there during the mission of the French cosmonaut Claudie Andree-Deshays (Cassiopea) and for a while working under command of Manakov.

    Progress-M32: Still to be launched in the night from 21 to 22.07.96.

    Soyuz-TM24: The ship will have to bring the relief crew and the French cosmonaut to the Mir-station. Soyuz-TM24 with a crew of 3 persons will be launched by the use of the rocket Soyuz-U, so not with the more powerful Soyuz-U2. To enable Soyuz-TM24 to have a rendezvous with Mir after being launched with a Soyuz-U rocket , the Mir-station had to be brought in a lower orbit. The engines of the Progress-M31 corrected Mir's orbit on 2 and 4.07.96.

    Radio-amateur traffic: Now and then phone from Mir on 145.550 mc. That what is needed for Packet radio traffic is always in use for service traffic on 143.625 mc. The downlink signals of the Mir-station only give the P/R confirmation (R0Mir-CUP). The transmitter of Safex-2 in the Priroda-module can be heard in a recorded greeting in Russian and English on 437.925 mc, FM-N. This frequency is also in use as a primary frequency for ISM-purposes (Industrial Scientific and Medical), which means that there might be a lot of interference if that frequency is in use for ISM by local stations, for instance hospitals.

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

1996 July 16 - .
  • Mir News 314: Progress-M32 - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. The launch of this freighter with new supplies for the Mir-space station is on schedule for 21.07.1996 at 23.58.06 UTC (For Moscow summertime already on 22.07.96). So for the launch of this freighter green light has been given for the use of the carrier Soyuz-U. (For details about the Soyuz-U problems see MirNEWS.311)

    Soyuz-TM24: The intention still exists to launch this ship with the crew of the 22d Main expedition to Mir (Manakov and Vinogradov) and the French cosmonaut Claudie Andre- Deshays on 14.08.1996, but a final decision has not yet been made. It might be possible that the Russians entrust the launch of the unmanned Progress-M to the carrier Soyuz-U, but wait with the green light for the use of that carrier for a manned ship until the eventual successful launch of the freighter.

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

1996 July 19 - .
  • Mir News 315: Progress-M32 - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. The launch of this freighter has been put back again. Using the carrier Soyuz-U Progress-M32 will start from Baykonur on 24.07.1996 at 2347 UTC (Moscow time 25.07.1996 - 0247 UTC)

    Progress-M32 has to link up with Mir at the forward axial port (-X axis). The first approach will be in the automatic mode by the system Kurs. The crew has to be ready to use the TORU (Tele-operating Guidance regime). If the automatic approach will fail the first time the crew will control the approach the next day using TORU. During the pass in orbit 59500 from 0918-0930 UTC today the crew got instructions about this operation.

    During the flight signals from Progress-M32 can be monitored in the 166, 165 and 922 MC bands.

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

1996 July 22 - .
  • Mir News 316: CORRECTION - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. Summary: Ref. MirNWS.315: The planned launch time of Progress-M32 is on 24.07.1996 at 2247 UTC. The time in Moscow Summertime is 25.07.1996 at 0247.

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

1996 July 25 - .
  • Mir News 317: Progress-M32 - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. The launch of this freighter has been postponed. A few seconds before blast off the control system discovered an irregularity in one of the systems of the carrier Soyuz-U and stopped the operation. An inquiry into the cause of the failure is going on. Depending on this inquiry the decision for the second launch attempt will be made.

    Towards the planned launch time (24.07 at abt. 2247 UTC) the Mir station was in visual range of Baykonur and the crew hoped to see the start. So they did not see anything and during the pass in orbit 59591 (0500-0512 UTC) Onufriyenko asked TsUP why the launch has been postponed.

    Meanwhile the cosmonauts continue the preparations for the departure of the freighter Progress-M31, still docked to the station. They are loading the Progress-M31 with things they do not longer need . Progress-M31 remains docked at the station until the 2d day of the flight of Progress-M32 when it is obvious that the systems of that freighter are functioning normally.

    Soyuz-TM24: About this ship with the relief crew Manakov and Vinogradov and the French spacionaute Claudie Andre-Deshays there will be a press-conference in Ts.P.K. (Starcity) on 26.07.1996. Undoubtedly the failure of the Soyuz-U rocket will be discussed there and we hope to get information about the eventual launch of Soyuz-TM24 on 14.08.1996.

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

1996 July 30 - .
  • Mir News 318: Progress-M32 - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. The launch of this freighter is now on schedule for 31.07.1996 at 20.00.04 UTC (For Moscow summertime 4 seconds after midnight on 1.08.96). The decision to give the green light for this launch has been taken on 29.07.1996 during a meeting of the state committee. The first attempt to launch the Progress-M32 failed due to a tank pressurisation problem. During the inspection afterwards a problem was revealed in one of the engines of a booster. The possibility to change that engine has been considered but finally the decision was taken to replace the whole booster. If all goes according to plan we might be able to hear the signals of the beacon- and telemetry transmitters of Progress-M32 at abt. 3 hrs after launch in the 922, 166 and 165 mc bands.

    The estimated docking time of Progress-M32 at Mir: 2.08.1996 at abt. 2159 UTC.

    Soyuz-TM24: The launch of this ship with the relief crew and the French spacionaute is now on schedule for 20.08.1996. We hope to get an eventual confirmation or additional information by CNES during this week.

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

1996 July 31 - . 20:00 GMT - . Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: Baikonur LC1. LV Family: R-7. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U.
  • Progress M-32 - . Payload: Progress M s/n 232. Mass: 7,130 kg (15,710 lb). Nation: Russia. Agency: MOM. Program: Mir. Class: Manned. Type: Manned logistics spacecraft. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. Spacecraft: Progress M. Duration: 96.11 days. Completed Operations Date: 1996-11-04 22:47:04 . Decay Date: 1996-11-04 22:47:04 . USAF Sat Cat: 24071 . COSPAR: 1996-043A. Apogee: 390 km (240 mi). Perigee: 371 km (230 mi). Inclination: 51.7000 deg. Period: 92.20 min. Unmanned resupply vessel to Mir. This was the first successful launch of a Soyuz-U after two failures. Docked with Mir at the forward docking port on 2 Aug 1996 22:03:40 GMT. Undocked on 18 Aug 1996 09:33:45 GMT in order to free up the docking port. By 29 August 1994 Mir was in a 375 x 390 km x 51.6 deg orbit; the Progress M-32 cargo ship, flying separately, was in a 375 x 392 km x 51.6 deg orbit. Redocked with Mir on 3 Sep 1996 09:35:00 GMT at the rear port of the Kvant module. Finally undocked from Mir on 20 Nov 1996 19:51:20 GMT. Destroyed in reentry on 20 Nov 1996 22:42:25 GMT. Total free-flight time 2.20 days. Total docked time 93.91 days.
1996 August 1 - .
  • Mir News 319: Progress-M32 - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. This freighter was launched from Baykonur on 31.07.1996 at 20.00.06 UTC. All went well and during passes within our range the signals of the beacon- and telemetry transmitters in the 166, 165 and 922.755mc could be monitored. During the pass in orbit 4, 020700-021220 UTC TCA (Time Closest Approach) for the Hague was 020808 UTC (922.755 mc Doppler dip).

    If all continues to go according to plan the Progress-M32 will link up with Mir on 2.08.1996 at 2158 UTC. The first pass (of that sequence) of Mir and Progress-M32 in Mir's orbit 59727, will last from 2147 until 2154 UTC. So during this pass the final approach is going on and radio communications regarding this operation possibly can be monitored in the VHF-band.

    The Progress-M32 will deliver to the Mir-station a cargo of 2478 KG. 328 KG of this cargo consists of experiments and equipment to be used by the French spacionaute Claudie Andre-Deshays during her Cassiopeia mission to Mir this month. The cargo further consists of water, food, fuel, oxygen, letters, equipment, software, spare parts etc.

    Progress-M31: This freighter is still docked at the forward (-X axis) port of the Mir-station and this port has to be free for the arrival of Progress-M31's successor Progress-M32. For that reason Progress-M31 will separate from Mir on 1.08.1996 at 1642 UTC and after a short autonomous flight this freighter will be put on a destruction course and burn up in the atmosphere over a designated area of the Pacific East of New-Zealand.

    Chris v.d. Berg, NL-9165/A-UK-3202.

1996 August 3 - .
  • Mir News 320: Progress-M32 - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. Docking at Mir:

    Progress-M32 docked at the Mir-station (-X axis, forward port transition section) on 2.08.1996 at 22.03.44 UTC. So 6 minutes later than planned. Approach and docking were executed in the automatic mode by the use of the system Kurs.

    Radio traffic: As always during such operations the radio traffic was very interesting. During the pass in orb. 59727, 2149-2156 UTC , the approach was still going on. The crew just accomplished a test of the TORU-system (for eventual manual guidance by the Mir-crew). They did not use this system. At 215520 UTC the distance between Progress-M32 and Mir was 180 M. The cosmonauts monitored the images made from Progress-M32 of the station on their displays. They also observed the approaching Progress-M32 via illuminators. The traffic revealed that, though somewhat slower than planned, the operation was proceeding well. During the next pass in orb. 59728, 2327-2333 UTC, radio traffic revealed that Progress-M32 had docked at Mir. The preparations for the opening of the hatches were going on, i.e. airseal checks, the equalisation of the pressures in Progress-M32 and Mir, deployment of an air hose, and so on. During the pass in orb. 59729, on 3.08.1996 from 0057-0107 UTC, the hatches were open and de cosmonauts already had entered the freighter to remove things which had to be transferred to the complex as soon as possible. After checks of the systems of Progress-M32 and the work to be sure that Progress-M32 was fixed at the station tight and safely the crew could go asleep. And so did, tired but satisfied, your 'observer'.

    The Progress-M32, will -relatively- remain a part of the Mir-complex for a short period: If the operations with Soyuz-TM24 (relief crew) will proceed according to plan (of this moment) Progress-M32 has to depart on 20.08.1996 to free the forward docking port for the Soyuz-TM24, which has to be launched on 19.08.1996. Progress-M31: This old freighter separated from Mir on 1.08.1996 at 16.44.54 UTC. and burnt up in the atmosphere. (Further details in a next Mir-report.)

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

1996 August 13 - .
  • Mir News 321: 22d Main Expedition to Mir - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. Due to serious hearth rhythm problems Manakov, the commander of the main crew, had to be hospitalised. So the core crew has been replaced by the stand ins. The French spacionaute Claudie Andre-Deshays will stay in the main crew. The crew of the 22d ME will consist of: Valeriy Grigoryevich Korzun (Commander), Aleksandr Yuryevich Kaleri (board engineer) and Claudie Andre-Deshays, (cosmonaut-researcher, guest cosmonaut CNES. ) Vinogradov and Leopold Eyharts remain available for the eventual replacement of respectively Kaleri and/or Andre-Deshays. There is no reserve commander available.

    Launch of Soyuz-TM24: The launch of this ship with the above mentioned crew members has been put forward and will now take place from Baykonur on 17.08.1996 at abt 1317 UTC.

    The service call sign of the crew is FREGAT, so resp. Fregat-1. -2 and -3).

    The names of the new crew and the earlier launch date had been given by a recorded message of Shannon Lucid transmitted from Mir on 437.925 mc.

    Progress-M31: As already has been reported this freighter ceased her existence on 1.08.1996. The exact times of this operation were: Separation from Mir: 16.44.45 UTC, start reentry burn: 19.44.30 UTC and burning up over a designated area in the Pacific East of New Zealand: 2033 UTC.

    Progress-M32: This freighter is still docked at Mir. If the launch and first part of the flight of Soyuz-TM24 will proceed as planned Progress-32 will undock from Mir on 18.08.1996 and burn up in the atmosphere.

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

1996 August 16 - .
  • Mir News 322: Soyuz-TM24 - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. The most recent information from Moscow confirms that the launch of this ship with the relief-crew for the 22d Main Expedition to Mir is still planned for 17.08.1996 at 1317 UTC. If all goes according to plan Soyuz-TM24 will dock at Mir on 19.08.1996 at 1449 UTC.

    Progress-M32: This freighter will separate from Mir on 18.08.1996 at 0931 UTC. In contradiction to the supposition in MirNEWS.321 Progress-M32 will not be brought on a destruction course, but stay in orbit in an autonomous flight. The Progress-M32 will redock to Mir after the departure of Soyuz-TM23 with the relieved crew. The redocking has to take place on 3.09.1996. Progress-M32 will be used to reboost the Mir-complex in the original somewhat higher orbit after the return to earth of Atlantis (STS-79) in September.

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

1996 August 17 - . 13:18 GMT - . Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Complex: Baikonur LC1. LV Family: R-7. Launch Vehicle: Soyuz 11A511U.
  • Soyuz TM-24 - . Call Sign: Fregat (Frigate ). Crew: Andre-Deshays; Kaleri; Korzun. Backup Crew: Eyharts; Lazutkin; Tsibliyev. Payload: Soyuz TM 11F732 s/n 73. Mass: 7,150 kg (15,760 lb). Nation: Russia. Related Persons: Andre-Deshays; Kaleri; Korzun; Eyharts; Lazutkin; Tsibliyev. Agency: RAKA. Program: Mir. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spacecraft. Flight: Mir EO-22; Mir Cassiopee; Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. Spacecraft: Soyuz TM. Duration: 196.73 days. Decay Date: 1997-03-02 . USAF Sat Cat: 24280 . COSPAR: 1996-047A. Apogee: 394 km (244 mi). Perigee: 378 km (234 mi). Inclination: 51.7000 deg. Period: 92.30 min. Mir Expedition EO-22. Valeriy Korzun and Aleksandr Kaleri of the Russian Space Agency (RKA) Claudie Andre-Deshays of the French space agency CNES. This launch was the first of the Soyuz-U booster with a crew aboard following two launch failures of on unmanned flights. Soyuz docked with Mir's front port at 14:50:21 GMT on August 19; Mir was in a 375 x 390 km x 51.6 deg orbit.

    On Feb 7 at 16:28:01 GMT the EO-22 crew and American astronaut Linenger undocked the Soyuz TM-24 ferry from the front docking port, flew it around to the far side of the complex and redocked at the rear Kvant port at 16:51:27 GMT. This cleared the forward port for the arrival of the EO-23 crew, who brought with them German astronaut Reinhold Ewald on Feb 12.

1996 August 18 - .
  • Mir News 323: Soyuz-TM24 successfully launched for flight to Mir - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir EO-22; Mir Cassiopee; Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. The Soyuz-TM24 has been launched with the carrier Soyuz-U from Baykonur on 17.08.1996 at 13.18.03 UTC. Soyuz-TM24 reached the planned orbit without problems and all systems worked well. Already during the pass in the 2d orbit the ship came in our range (1620-1623 UTC) and radio signals could be monitored. Korzun, commander of this 22 Main Expedition, who makes his first flight, reported that they had moved from the SA (landing-apparatus) into the BO (life compartment) and that they had put off their spacesuits. The crew made preparations for the 1st orbit correction which was planned for 16.57.43 UTC. During the pass in the 3d orb. (1749-1756 UTC) the 2d orbit correction was accomplished: 175021 UTC. Korzun reported the good performance of these operations during this pass. During the 4th orbit (1923-1930 UTC) again a lot of radio traffic. 2 times the TCA's (Time Closest Approach) could be determined monitoring the Doppler shift on 922.755 mc: 3d orb. at 175222 UTC and 4th orb. 192520 UTC. In the morning of 18.08.1996 Flight control confirmed that all crew members were in a good health and mood. Due to the use of the carrier Soyuz-U instead of the more powerful Soyuz-U2 the Russians had to reduce the mass of crew and material. So they refrained from the use of Kurs, the device for automatic approach and docking. This means that Korzun will have to approach and dock in the manual mode. The docking is on schedule for 19.09.1996 at 1449 UTC. During the final phase of the docking operation both objects are within our range. (Mir's orb. 59981, 1437-1443 UTC) and radio traffic about this operation might be possible on the Mir and Soyuz-TM24 frequencies.

    Progress-M32: This freighter separated from Mir on 18.08.1996 at 0934 UTC. The autonomous flight of the Progress-M32 will last until 3.09.1996.

    Soyuz-TM23: Return to earth of relieved crew of ME 21 (Onufriyenko and Usachov) and Claudie Andre-Deshays with the Soyuz-TM23 has been put back until 2.09.1996.

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

1996 August 19 - .
  • Mir News 324: Soyuz-TM24 docked at Mir - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir Cassiopee; Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21; Mir EO-22. The Soyuz-TM24 docked at Mir on 19.08.1996 at 14.50.21 UTC. Approach and docking took place in the automatic mode with the system Kurs. This in contradiction to the information about Kurs in MirNEWS.323. This information came from a usually reliable source who possibly misinterpreted a message of a press-agency. Radio traffic during the passes after the successful docking revealed that the new crew and Claudie Andre-Deshays still were in good health and mood after the 2-days flight. A very cheerful Claudie told a countryman at TsUP that she will use the module Priroda as her guest-room. Shannon Lucid is staying in the module Spektr.

    Soyuz-TM23: This ship will return to earth on 2.09.1996 with the relieved crew of ME 21 and Claudie.

    Progress-M32: This freighter is flying in a somewhat higher orbit than Mir. Progress-M32 will redock at Mir on 3.09.1996.

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

1996 September 2 - .
  • Mir News 325: Soyuz-TM23 returned to earth - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir Cassiopee; Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21; Mir EO-22. The descent module of the ship Soyuz-TM23 with on board the crew of the 21st ME and the 'spacionaute' Claudie Andre-Deshays landed safely on 2.09.1996 at 07.41.40 UTC in a position 105 KM South West of Akmola in Kazakhstan. The condition of the 3 cosmonauts was excellent and they will fly to Chkalovo (near Starcity, Moscow) today.

    0110 UTC: The hatch behind the departing cosmonauts was closed.

    0417 UTC: Soyuz-TM23 separated from Mir to begin a short autonomous flight.

    The aimed landing position was in a distance of 107 KM from Tselinograd in Kazakhstan with an estimated landing time of 07.41.03 UTC. (So they landed 37 sec. later in another position).

    Progress-M32: This freighter is still flying autonomously. Redocking to the Mir complex is on schedule for 3.09.1996 at abt. 0755 UTC.

    Chris v.d. Berg, NL-9165/A-UK320.

1996 September 2 - .
  • Landing of Soyuz TM-23 - . Return Crew: Andre-Deshays; Onufrienko; Usachyov. Nation: Russia. Related Persons: Andre-Deshays; Onufrienko; Usachyov. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir EO-22; Mir Cassiopee; Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-21. The spacecraft undocked on September 2 at 04:20 GMT, and made a small seperation burn at 04:24:40 GMT. Deorbit was at 06:47:20 GMT. The three modules separated at 07:14:36 and the parachute deployed at 07:26 GMT. The landing was at 07:41:40 GMT, 100 km SW of Akmola in Kazakstan with Yuri Onufrienko, Yuriy Usachyov and Claudie Andre-Deshays aboard. This concluded the French 'Cassiopee' mission.
1996 September 3 - .
  • Mir News 326: Progress-M32 redocked at the Mir space station. - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-22. Today Progress-M32 concluded her autonomous flight. This flight began on 18.08.1996 , so 1 day before the docking of Soyuz-TM24. Approach and docking took place 1 orbit later than originally planned and was executed in the automatic mode with the system Kurs. The docking at the aft docking port (Kvant, +X-axis) was accomplished on 3.09 at 09.35.21 UTC. For those monitoring operations like this the delay of this operation until orbit 60212 from 0927-0932 UTC was a piece of good luck because of the fact that they could monitor the final phase of the operation. Commander Korzun observed the approach via the displays of the systems LIV and TORU and reported distances, approach speeds and manoeuvres around the X-axis. When both objects disappeared behind the horizon the distance was 95 meters and the appr. speed 0.8 M/sec. During the pass in orb. 60213 from 1102-1108 UTC it was obvious that Progress-M32 was a part of the Mir-complex again. Meanwhile Korzun had corrected the attitude of the complex. He got orders not to carry out the airseal checks and the opening of the hatch today.

    (So in a relative short period the Russians successfully accomplished crucial operations. As far as Russian spaceflight is concerned Aleksandr Lebedj has nothing to worry about!!)

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

1996 September 12 - .
  • Mir News 327: Activities on board Mir - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-22. The crew has spend a lot of time and efforts to repair an airseal problem in one of the modules. Obviously the problem has been solved, but the cause of that what might have been a leakage seems to be a mystery. Meanwhile the crew started preparations for the meeting with the Atlantis (STS-79) still to be launched on 16.09.1996 at 0854 UTC. Apart from extra physical training Sannon is packing things which she has to transfer to Atlantis for delivery on earth. Assisted by Kaleri, who also gave her instructions, Shannon tried out a spacesuit. She reported (in Russian) to TsUP that the suit was the right size and that she was sure to be able to use it if this might be unlooked-for necessary. TsUP confirmed that this exercise had to be done in case of an eventual return of Shannon with a Soyuz-TM. One of the means to inject oxygen in the atmosphere of the complex is the system Elektron. These systems produce oxygen out of water by an electrolysis process. Nitrogen is needed for the purging of these Elektrons, but also for the pressurising. Nowadays there is not enough nitrogen on board and new supplies, which have to be delivered by Atlantis and Progress-M33 (in October) are badly needed.

    Atlantis (STS-79): If all goes according to plan and Atlantis starts on 16.09.1996 at 0854 UTC radio-amateurs in Western-Europa can try to monitor phone reports from Atlantis at abt. 20 minutes after launch. This might be possible during the first contact of Atlantis via a relay-facility in Spain. During the last flight of Atlantis signals could be monitored on 259.700 mc AM. After an elapsed time of 2days 18hrs 23mins Atlantis must link up with Mir, so if the launch goes as planned and the flight has been proceeding well this will take place on 19.09.1996 at 0017 UTC (for the USA still 18.09). If the same communications are used as during the last Atlantis mission an American TDRS as well as a Russian Altair (1 or 2 or both) will be used during approach and docking. 23 minutes after the 'soft docking' the so called 'hardmate' will take place. After a check period of 2hrs and 25mins the hatches will be opened.

    Radio-amateurism: During the last week a lot of traffic, Packet Radio and Phone could be heard on 145.550mc. Korzun is an enthusiast radio-amateur and he made a lot of QSO-s over Western Europe. His knowledge of the English language and his feeling for radio-amateurism enables him to do this and to enjoy it. Apart from some recorded voice messages on 437.925mc I cannot say much about the use of the Safex-2 facilities in the Priroda module. Here the UHF-frequencies 437.925, 437.950 and 437.975 mc are used for medical purposes (hearth monitoring) by a hospital nearby. Monitoring these frequencies is such a torment that it would endanger the condition of my hearth in such a way that I myself even might need that service by that hospital!

    Chris van den Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202.

1996 September 16 - . 08:54 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. LV Configuration: Space Shuttle STS-79.
  • STS-79 - . Call Sign: Atlantis. Crew: Blaha; Readdy; Wilcutt; Akers; Apt; Walz. Payload: Atlantis F17 / External Airlock/ODS. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Blaha; Readdy; Wilcutt; Akers; Apt; Walz. Agency: NASA Houston. Program: Mir. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spaceplane. Flight: STS-79; Mir NASA-2; Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-22. Spacecraft: Atlantis. Duration: 10.14 days. Decay Date: 1996-09-25 . USAF Sat Cat: 24324 . COSPAR: 1996-057A. Apogee: 386 km (239 mi). Perigee: 368 km (228 mi). Inclination: 51.7000 deg. Period: 92.10 min. On September 19 Atlantis docked with the Russian Mir space station. Aboard Atlantis in the payload bay were the Orbiter Docking System, the modified Long Tunnel, and the Spacehab Double Module, containing supplies for the Mir. Astronaut John Blaha relieved Shannon Lucid as NASA resident on the complex. Atlantis undocked from the Mir complex on September 23 at 23:33 GMT. Valeriy Korzun, Aleksandr Kaleri and John Blaha remain on Mir. On September 26 Atlantis closed its payload bay doors, and at 11:06 GMT fired its OMS engines for a three minute long deorbit burn. After entry interface at 11:42 GMT the spaceship flew across Canada and the US for a landing at the Kennedy Space Center's Runway 15 at 12:13 GMT.
1996 September 17 - .
  • Mir News 328: Start Atlantis - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: STS-79; Mir NASA-2; Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-22. Within 20 minutes after the launch of Atlantis on mission STS-79 on 16.09.1996 at 08.54.49 UTC commander Readdy could be heard in a contact with Houston via a relay station in Spain. This was on 259.700 mc (AM) between 0913-0919 UTC. For ballistic reasons lift-off took place 46 seconds later than originally planned.

    Rendezvous and docking operations:

    Begin Mir rendezvous operation: 18.09 2134 UTC TI Burn 19.09 0003 Arrival on R-bar (Earth radius vector) 0153 Hovering at 170 feet from Mir 0235 Begin final approach 0310 Atlantis docks with Mir 0317 Hardmate Atlantis/Mir 0337

    For observers in Western-Europe the passes of Mir (and -the then being in a short distance- of Atlantis) begin during Mir's orbit nr. 60468 with a pass between 0307-0315 UTC, maximum elevation 11 degrees. So communications between Mir and Atlantis might be possible on the well known VHF frequencies. Whether there will be TV-images -for instance via CNN- or not is not sure at this point. If the Russians use Altair-1 (Cosmos-2054) over 16 dgs West images seen by Mir of the approaching Atlantis might be possible between 0230-0324 UTC. During the last docking mission of Atlantis (STS-76) those images could be seen via CNN together with images of Mir seen by a camera in Atlantis. It is also possible that the Russians will use Altair-2 (over 96 dgs East) during the window from 0306-0402 UTC.

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

1996 September 19 - .
  • Mir News 329: Atlantis docked at Mir - . Nation: Russia. Program: Mir. Flight: STS-79; Mir NASA-2; Mir NASA-1; Mir EO-22. 'Readdy was ready' and he controlled the free drift with a speed of appr. 2.5 cm/sec of Atlantis to Mir during the final phase of the approach. The result was a perfect soft docking on 19.09.96 at 0313 UTC. The original operation schedule was almost executed on the minute, except for the time of the 'touch', which had been put forward by 4 minutes. For friends in Western Europa who use to monitor radio transmissions during such operations this was a blessing for it meant that the docking could take place within the window for both objects on Mir's orbit nr. 60468, 0307-0315 UTC. So at 031330 UTC they could hear Readdy reporting in Russian: 'KASANIYE' (touch). For this report he used the 130.165 mc FM and immediately after his report commander Korzun in Mir reported on 143.625 mc that he had a positive indication about the docking. Monitoring people always hope that they can pick up that important word 'kasaniye' during dockings of Soyuz- and Progress-ships, but mostly the moment of that touch takes place just a few minutes after LOS of their position, in the past this occurred a few times during Soyuz-TM dockings. Of course it is always possible to log the traffic during such dockings in the final phase of the approach. This time there was not much radio traffic before the 'touch' for Readdy had to do his job with concentration and everybody was watching the operation silently. TV-images transmitted by TV-stations revealed that there were no direct images from camera's on board Mir. So possibly the geostationary Luches: Altair-1 and 2 were not in use. During the first 3 docking missions these images could be seen simultaneously with the images from Atlantis , relayed by TDRS-s. Certainly we will get images made from inside Mir during the docking operation, but these were recorded and transmitted to earth later. During the next pass of the enormous space-complex (in orb. Mir nr. 60469, 0441-0453 UTC) the Mir-crew already had accomplished the air-seal checks and opened 2 hatches of the SO (docking compartment). They also had removed things which had been necessary during the docking and now had to be stowed away. Just before LOS for our position Korzun tried to communicate via 130.165 mc with Atlantis to get information about the proceedings there. Opening of the hatches from Atlantis to Mir took place at 0539 UTC, so not in our VHF-range. Via TV-stations receiving relays via a TDRS we could see nice images of the meeting of both crews and the first gathering on board Mir.

    SAREX STS-79: During this mission there might be radio-amateur activities by the astronauts-radio-amateurs Jay Apt (N5QWL), Carl Walz (KC5TIE) and John Blaha (KC5TZQ). Sarex VHF downlink is 145.840 mc FM with uplink frequencies: 144.450 and 144.470 mc FM. Please do not use 145.840 mc FM for 'uplink' or -during Atlantis passes -local bragging. Chris v.d. Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202

1996 September 26 - .
Home - Browse - Contact
© / Conditions for Use