MIRNEWS.471 6 DECEMBER 1999 MIR: ESHCHO V ZHIVYKH: Though I have no longer a direct 'entry' on board of the MIR- spacestation, there is still a lot to report. Every day the orbit of the complex looses a few hundred meters and the station is loosing a little bit of air. Confirmation that MIR is still alive can be derived from the fact that during some passes every day the telemetry can be monitored via the 638, 166 and 165 mc bands. I did not yet find the key to decypher those rattles. Regretfully the famous World War-2 Enigma-code crackers of Bletchley Park near London cannot help any more. Good sources, which have insight in that what the telemetry has to report, told me that all is going reasonable well. The complex is still flying in free drift and slowly spinning around the X- and Y-axes with an angular speed of 0.15 degrees/sec. If needed the B.U.P.O. can be activated to control the movements of the complex with the use of steering rockets and the external thruster VDU. It is also possible to use the steering devices of the freighter Progress-M42 for that purpose. This freighter can also be used to correct the orbit of the complex. This might take place one of these days, even already today. At about 1.12.1999 the per/ap were respectively 322.3 and 325.9KM. The data TsUP derived from telemetry about the thermoregulation, the humidity, the power supply (accumulator batteries loaded by some solar panels) and about the already mentioned attitude show no anomalies. The slow but gradual loss of air pressure still gives concern. On high level especially the head of RAKA, Koptev, uses this problem as an argument against the eventual prolongation of the MIR-exploitation. MIR's fate in 2000 still unsure: In the field of the policy makers for MIR's future 2 huge organisations have totally opposite points of view. These organisations are the RAKA (so: the Russian NASA) and MIR's owner RKK Energiya. Recently RKK Energiya got support from the Duma. The Duma gave permission to use money earned from spaceflight activities and for which Russia is the rightful claimant, so no money from the public treasury. RKK Energiya is hoping for the American project to use an electro-dynamic tether as a counter action to surpress the natural drag. To make this possible the project has to be realised by attaching the 7 KM long tether at the Kristall module during an EVA by cosmonauts. Koptev, however, has another opinion. He states that every rubel which can be used for Russian spaceflight has to be invested in the Russian obligations for the International Space Station. He is responsible that Russia fulfils her promises in international cooperation. Russia's contribution to the ISS is the only way to survive as one of the greatest spaceflight nations in the world. In his opinion it is not realistic to exploit MIR for 1 or 2 years more and thus loosing influence in the development of ISS. He also warns for the dangers which an uncontrolled MIR-complex might mean for humanity. He emphasizes that the mysterious leakage of air makes further exploitation irresponsible. Reasonable reliable assessments based on information from good sources: There is still hope, but the promised funding by the Duma is far from sure. In this respect there has not been a single officially confirmed action in that respect. There are still tentative plans for the beginning of 2000, which would make it necessary to raise MIR's orbit by a Progress. Towards the end of January 2000 (perhaps on 24.01.2000) the tanker Progress-M1 will be launched to MIR. This tanker can be used to put the complex on the final destruction course into the atmosphere for decay over the designated area East of New Zealand. The Russians hope to send Main Expedition 28 (Zalyotin and Kaleri) to MIR in April 2000. Definitely without the movie actor Steklov. This mission will last 2 months. Chris v.d. Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202.