Overview
The Mir Space Station has been orbiting the Earth since it was first launched in 1986. Mir was created and maintained by the Russian Space Program to study the effects of a prolonged human presence in space. The space station provides a permanent home for 2 to 3 people and has hosted many important scientific studies. It consists of six different modules which easily connect and disconnect to accommodate the scientists' needs.The experience gained by Russia and other countries during the assembly and maintenance of Mir will prove invaluable to all parties involved in the International Space Station. Mir is scheduled to be abandoned in August of 1999 due to a series of problems, starting with the collision of the Progress M cargo vessel and the Spektr Module of Mir in June of 1997.
The core module of the station houses the working compartment which is made up of the living quarters and the operations area. The living area contains the crews' quarters, hygiene areas, and the galley which is an eating area. This also is where the station monitoring systems, science equipment, lab facilities, and the propulsion system are located. Each crew member is given their own cabin with a chair, sleeping bag, and a porthole. To make the station seem more like home, it has distinct floors, walls, and ceilings. The carpeting on the floor, lightly colored walls, and fluorescent lighting also contribute to this cozy atmosphere. The hygiene area has a toilet, sink, and shower. The gallery has a table, cooking supplies, and a trash storage system.
The operations area is a 43 foot-long module that controls the functions of the entire Mir complex and even has an area for exercise. From this location the crew can control and monitor the critical systems of the space station. The core module also has a series of docking ports which allow secondary station modules or transport crafts to connect to the working module.
Kvant is the Astrophysics module and is currently attached at the rear of the station. It provides information for research into the physics of active galaxies, quasars, and neutron stars by measuring electromagnetic spectra and X-ray emissions. Kvant is 19 feet long and 14 feet in diameter.
Kvant 2 is the Scientific and Airlock module which provides Earth observation data, biological research data, and EVA capability. An airlock on this module allows access to the exterior of Mir and the ability to conduct experiments about the effects of space exposure on electronics and construction materials. Kvant 2 is over 40 feet long and 14 feet in diameter.
Kristall
Kristall technological module is used for biological and materials processing technology development in the space environment. It contains equipment that produces semiconductors and other high-tech materials that benefit from the low gravity environment in space. This module has a docking port that is used to dock with the Shuttle. This allows the Shuttle to serve in many of the same capacities of both the Soyuz-TM and Progress-M crafts. Space technology development experiments can also be carried out in the Shuttle Docking Module. Besides all these features this module also includes a greenhouse designed to cultivate plants in zero-gravity.
The Spektr Remote Sensing module was added to the Mir Space Station in June of 1995. It contains equipment for atmospheric research and surface studies. The European Space Exposure Facility is currently attached to it and studies particles in low-Earth orbit. This module is the primary electricity generating module and houses many experiments from scientists in the United States.
The Priroda Remote Sensing module was added to the Mir Space Station in April of 1996. It contains active, passive, and infra-radiometers, a synthetic aperture radar, and several types of spectrometers used for measuring ozone and aerosol concentrations in the atmosphere.
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