MIRNEWS.431    24 JULY 1998

MIR-routine:

Indefatigably the 2 cosmonauts on board MIR continued the
exploitation of this immense laboratory. Contradictory to the last months
it seemed as if the cosmonauts could reduce their attention to repairs
and replacement of systems, which enabled them to spend more time and
energy to their main task: the preparation and execution of all kinds of
scientific experiments. In the west, especially in the U.S.A., media
attention for that what is going on aboard MIR is rather poor after the
departure of the last American astronaut.

Long series of radiograms, reaching the cosmonauts by the Packet Radio
system (originally used by radio-amateurs and which cannot be praised
enough) contain enough instructions for experiments to keep them busy day
in and day out.

Regularly the crew speaks about experiments in the furnaces Optizon,
Gallar and Kristall, of which those performed in the Optizon furnace take
place in coordination with American experts. Other experiments which pass
the review are Dakon, MAD, Temir, Phantom, Optovert, Maksat and Laser
sensing with Alisa.

Communications:

For Western Europe the MIR-complex merely comes in range
during the night hours and so there is not much traffic via the VHF-
channels. During the working day MIR-TsUP communications take place
during one window.

In the period from 10 to 17.07.98 Altair-2 was in use for other purposes.
On 16 and 17.07.98 the 10 GHz channel was in use for the relay of audio
and TV transmissions of the ceremonies for the burial of Czar Nikolay-II and
his family. Just before the conclusion of the ceremonies, as soon as the
first salute of guns was fired the relay of Altair-2 stopped and this satellite
could be used for MIR-TsUP traffic again.

On 22.07.98 during a communications session via Altair-2 the cosmonauts
called someone with the call sign Agata. They spoke about the BDD-2
(Betriebstechnik Deutschland Direkt), so they used the same system which
was operational during the ESA-expedition to MIR (Euromir-95). The crew
had received 2 diskettes with a program to activate a computer for BDD
experiments. They exchanged data of the experiment Dakon. The
communications took place via a station in Russia and not via
Oberpfaffenhofen in Germany as was the case during Euromir-95.

Technical failures:

The a.c. BKV-3 still shows hickups just after
switching on. An alarm signal points out that something is wrong with the
pressure. After switching off and on a few times, the BKV-3 worked well.
On 19.07.98 there was again smoke alarm. There was no smoke at all and in
this case the smoke sensor was to blame. The malfunction of one of the
gyrodynes was also mentioned and one of the solarpanels of the Spektr
module does not produce enough energy due to the malfunction of the
driver which has to change the angle of that panel. (To eliminate this
problem the crew of the next expedition has to execute an internal
spacewalk -IVA- inside Spektr). The life support systems are performing
well in this period, possibly due to the fact that they have to serve
only 2 men. The crew keeps a sharp eye on the CO-2 values, especially
during and after physical exercises.

Plans for the near future:

In fact the uncertainty phase still continues. Russian spaceflight
organisations are still waiting for the promised funding needed to
continue MIR operations until June 1999. The Russians expect that the
money will be remitted in due time. And there was another development:
the Russian Menatep bank promised to sponsor the last MIR-Mohicans, i.e.
MIR's ME 27 from February to June 1999.

Almost certain is:

that Soyuz-TM28 with Padalka, Avdeyev and Baturin will be launched on
13.08.1998 and dock with MIR on 15.08.1998, that the freighter Progress-
M39 will separate from MIR on 14.08.1998 for an autonomous flight until
the departure of the relieved crew and Baturin with the Soyuz-TM27 on 25
or 26.08.1998 and that the launch of the next freighter Progress-M40 will
take place not before 15.10.1998.

Znamya-2:

Several Television programs used the Itar-Tass publication
about the execution of the experiment Znamya-2 in November this year to
enlighten the dull season program with an interesting item. A Progress-M
freighter should deploy a circular reflection sail for the spectacular
illumination of a number of cities on earth.

That this operation might be possible in November is doubtful for after
an experiment like this, the freighter has to decay in the earth's
atmosphere and cannot return to the MIR-complex to redock to the aft
(Kvant-1) docking port. Because of the necessary thermal protection of
that port and the Kvant-1 itself, a Progress-M ship has to be docked
there until the next Pr-M ship. The period until the docking of the Pr-M41
(not before March 1999) would be pretty long. (And there is also the
question if the Progress-M can be redocked after the experiment.)

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