MIRNEWS.311 4 JULY 1996 Progress-M32: 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-spacestation. 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 recon- naissance 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 selfdestruction. 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 Glovebox. 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.