MIR OVERVIEW The Russian space station Mir, which has become an important part of the U.S.-led effort to build the International Space Station, is itself the latest stage in the evolution of Russia’s manned space program. Since 1971, Russia has been pushing back the limits on human presence in space, first with the Salyut series of space stations and now Mir. The current station is the result of numerous improvements the Russians made in the design of the Salyut spacecraft, but it re- tains the basic modular approach—the joining of various space vehicles to form a station—that has been the hallmark of the Rus- sian manned space program. Mir is a third-generation space station. Its design is based on the modules of the second Salyut station. Mir (Russian for “peace,” “commune,” and “world”) is actually a complex of various mod- ules: the core module, Kvant-1, Kvant-2, Kristall, Spektr, and Priroda. 27 MIR MODULES The core module was the first element of the Mir complex to be placed in orbit. It was launched on a Proton rocket in February 1986, several months before the last Salyut station was removed from ser- vice. The orbiting station has been manned almost continuously since then. Atlantis approaches Mir during STS-74 mission (November 1995) The core module is the control center for the entire space sta- tion and also contains work and living areas. Two concentric cylinders, 43 feet long, make up this major habitable volume. The working area houses not only the control center but also a pilot’s the spacecraft that transport crew members and supplies to the sta- station and medical monitoring equipment. The living area has indi- tion and back to Earth. The docking module has a transfer vidual crew cabins, a galley, and a personal hygiene compartment compartment that allows the crew to travel between the Mir mod- complete with toilet, sink, and shower. ules and unload incoming supplies and equipment. A docking module attached to the forward end of the core mod- Two Kvant (pronounced kwahnt) spacecraft serve as Mir re- ule has four radial ports for additional modules and an axial port for search modules. (Kvant means “quantum” in Russian.) Mir Core Module Length 43.3 ft Maximum Diameter 13.7 ft Habitable Volume 3,000 ft3 Priroda Weight at Launch 45,444 lb Launch Weight 43,431 lb Launch Vehicle Proton (Three-Stage) Length 43 ft Orbital Inclination 51.6 deg Diameter 14.35 ft Number of Solar Arrays 2 (Third Added During EVA) Habitable Volume 2,337 ft3 Span Across Solar Arrays 98 ft Anticipated Lifetime Area of Solar Arrays 844 ft2 (1,088 ft2 With Third Array) at Launch 3 yr Electricity Available 9-10 kW at 28.6 V Resupply Carriers Progress, Progress M Number of Docking/Berthing Ports 2 Docking, 4 Berthing Number of Main Engines 2 Main Engine Thrust (Each) 666 lb Kvant-1 Total Launch Weight 45,777 lb Spektr Mir Module Weight 24,444 lb Launch Weight 43,299 lb Functional Service Module Weight 21,333 lb Length 43 ft Length 19.14 ft Diameter 14.35 ft Maximum Diameter 13.7 ft Habitable Volume 2,186 ft3 28 Habitable Volume 1,333 ft3 Anticipated Lifetime at Launch 5 yr Kvant-2 Launch Weight 43,477 lb Kristall Length 56.3 ft Launch Weight 4,362 lb Diameter 14.35 ft Length 56.3 ft Habitable Volume 2,043 ft3 Diameter 14.35 ft Span Across Solar Arrays 792 ft Habitable Volume 2,147 ft3 Solar Array Capacity ~7 kW Span Across Solar Arrays 118 ft Anticipated Lifetime at Launch 3 yr Mir Space Station MTD 950109-5097 Mir Space Station Kvant-1 is equipped with six gyrodynes, which provide ex- tremely accurate pointing of the space station and significantly reduce the amount of fuel used for attitude control. In 1992, Russian space- walking cosmonauts placed a thruster on top of a 48-foot-tall girder they erected and attached to Kvant-1 in 1991 to improve Mir’s atti- tude control. For performing astronomical observations, the astrophysics module has a Roentgen X-ray telescope suite of four instruments developed by Britain, the Netherlands, the European Space Agency, and Russia, and an ultraviolet telescope. The telescopes cannot be aimed without orienting the entire Mir complex. The science equip- ment also includes an electrophoresis unit. Kvant-2 docked with Mir in November 1989. The 40-foot-long MTD 950504-5181 module is equipped with an airlock that permits cosmonauts to leave Mir Core Module the module for spacewalks, a central instrument and cargo compart- ment, and an instrument and experiment compartment. The central Kvant-1, the astrophysics module, is equipped for celestial ob- 29 servations and some biotechnology experiments. The 19-foot-long module, which is connected to the aft end of the core module, houses a laboratory with separate areas for instrumentation and living. Kvant-1 docked with Mir in April 1987. Because it does not have its own propulsion system, the astrophysics module had to be delivered to Mir by a Russian space tug. It began its astronomical observations in June 1987 by studying Supernova 1987a in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Plumbing in Kvant-1 allows fuel and other fluids to be trans- ferred to the core module from resupply craft that dock at Kvant-1’s aft port. The fuel is used by attitude thrusters in the core module. Kvant-1, which was originally designed to be part of the Salyut space station, is the only module that docks at the core module’s rear port. Because Kvant-1 blocks the main thrusters on the aft end of the MTD 950504-5184 core module, docked spacecraft have had to perform the station’s orbital maintenance maneuvers. Kvant Astrophysics Module shower is delivered, the crew will use wet wipes for personal hy- giene. Kvant-2 was the first module equipped with the Lyappa arm, which is used to move the modules after they dock with Mir. The arm was attached to a fixture on the docking node and transferred Kvant-2 from the front axial port to one of the radial ports. The Kristall, Spektr, and Priroda modules also have a Lyappa arm. Opposite Kvant-2 is the Kristall technology module, which ar- MTD 950504-5183 rived in June 1990. Kristall (which means “crystal” in Russian) is used to develop zero-g material and biological production techniques. Kvant-2 Module The 39-foot-long module contains an instrument/cargo compartment equipped with materials processing furnaces, biotechnology experi- ment apparatus, a hothouse for growing radishes and lettuce, an compartment can be sealed and used as an extension of or backup to ultraviolet telescope, an Earth resources camera, and several spec- the airlock. trometers. Following STS-71, Kristall was positioned at a radial port between Spektr and Kvant-2. This module supports Earth observation and biological research, 30 including experiments involving specimens that must be exposed to The Kristall module has two docking ports with androgynous the space environment outside the module. The module’s comple- docking mechanisms. The mechanisms are similar to the docking ment of scientific equipment includes a high-resolution camera, a apparatus built by the U.S. and Soviet Union for the Apollo-Soyuz multispectral Earth resources camera, an optical spectrometer, an linkup in 1975. They were designed for docking the Russian Buran infrared spectrometer, an incubator for hatching and raising Japa- but will be used by space shuttle orbiters instead. The Buran, or nese quail, a fluid flow experiment, and panels for monitoring “snow storm,” was the Russian equivalent of the U.S. shuttle orbit- conditions outside the space station. ers. Kvant-2 also delivered a new, faster computer with more memory capability to manage the expanding Mir space station and brought the Russian manned maneuvering unit and new space suits for use on spacewalks. The space station’s attitude control capability was augmented by Kvant-2’s six gyrodynes and 32 thrusters. Kvant-2 is equipped with a system that converts urine into wa- ter, which is then used to produce oxygen. It also has a shower that reclaims and processes the water for reuse. In April 1995, the Mir MTD 950504-5182 crew removed the shower unit and installed a gyrodyne that is used for attitude control when the shuttle docks with Mir. Until a new Kristall Module The 30-foot-long Spektr (“spectrum”) module, which was launched May 1995, adds an Earth-monitoring capability to Mir. It can measure sources of radiation on the Earth, such as active volca- noes, gas torches, and forest fires, and investigate environmental pollution. Investigators will also be able to study the effects of changes in the sun’s activity. Spektr carried more than 1,600 pounds of scientific equipment, two pairs of solar arrays to boost power to the aging Russian station, and a new robotic arm to shuffle the massive Mir modules around in preparation for nine dockings with the shuttle orbiter. Spektr’s solar arrays are now almost fully deployed. The newest addition to the Mir complex is the Priroda module, added in April 1996. Priroda, which means “nature,” supports ex- periments dealing with remote sensing and observation of the Earth. Cosmonauts and astronauts will conduct studies of the Earth’s at- mosphere and surface and will continue experiments begun earlier MTD 960827-5737 on the space station. 31 Priroda Module DOCKING AND BERTHING MECHANISMS Two kinds of mechanisms enable spacecraft to dock with Mir. Probe-and-drogue devices are used to mate the Soyuz and Progress spacecraft with Mir in addition to connecting Kvant-1, Kvant-2, Kristall, and Priroda to the berthing ports on the Mir core module.