MIR is a Russian Space Station, which has completed over 59,280 trips around earth. It circles around the earth at a height of 390 km and an inclination of 51.6 degrees. As of August 1996, MIR has had a total of four missions that involved the Space Shuttle. Many more will come in the future to help complete the ISS (International Space Station). The current MIR Space Station is actually a bunch of different modules that have been pieced together, and carried to space by the Space Shuttle.
The Soviet's have not had much involvement in Space lately, most of their activity as centered around MIR. MIR is made of different modules and is often added to and moved around. MIR regularly carries 2-3 cosmonauts (sometimes up to 6, but only for a month). When living in space, scientists perform technical and scientific experiments. The scientist are able to record real-data on life in space. All the experiments are done in the science facilities in MIR. MIR is equipped with lab materiels and instrumentes to perform tests and record data on microgravity, space technology, and space life science experiments and more.
Mission Information
STS-71 6/27/1995
The first Commander of the Space Shuttle, to meet the Russian’s in spaceRobert L. Gibson, accompanying him was the pilot Charles J. Precort and three more astronauts. They were mission specialists Ellen S. Baker, Bonnie J. Dunbar, and Gregory J. Harbaugh. From the Russian’s, the MIR-19 crew upload were Anatoly Solovyev, and Nikolai Budarin. And last, the MIR-18 crew download were Norman E. Thagard, Vladimir Dezhurov, and Gennadiy Strekalov.
Flight Information:
Duration: 9.80 days; Orbiter: Atlantis; Crew: 7 up/8down; Payload: MIR#1/Spacelab-Mir, IMAX 10, SAREX II.
The STS-71 was launched on June 27 1995 at 15:32 EDT. When in space, Atlantis remained docked to MIR for almost five days. The crews aboard both vehicles conducted joint life sciences research experiments. When the mission was complete, the shuttle landed at KSC (Kennedy Space Center) on July 7, 1995 at 10:54: on Runway 15 (Nose wheel touchdown at 10:54:44 sec and Wheels stop at 10:55:25 ) EDT.
The orbiter Atlantis, was modified to carry a docking
system that was compatible with the Russian MIR Space Station, Atlantis also delivered water, supplies, and equipment, including two new solar arrays -- one Russian and one to upgrade the MIR Space Station. Atlantis return to Earth with experiment samples; equipment for repair and analysis; and products manufactured on the station.
Their prime objectives were to meet with Russians in Space; life sciences investigations abord SPACELAB/MIR; logistical resupply of the MIR; recovery of the US astronaut Norman E. Thagard, and the delivery of two cosmonauts Anatoly Solovyev and Nikolai Budarin to MIR. Their Second objective is to film, using the IMAX camera and also the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment II (SAREX II) experiment.
Also the orbiter Atlantis, carried a Spacelab module in the payload bay, in which the mission specialist can perform experiments and collect data about various life sciences that took place throughout the 10-day mission.
The STS-74 mission was the 14th mission for Atlantis and the 69th for the Space Shuttle system and the 100th US Manned launch .
Mission successful, performed the first docking with the Russian Space Station Mir to exchange crews.
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STS-74 11/12/1995
The Commander of STS-74, Kenneth D. Cameron and pilot, James D. Halsell took control of the second Space Shuttle flight to MIR The STS carried Russian modules and assembled them for the Russian’s using the Shuttles robot arm. Also during the 6-day flight, mission specialist Chris A. Hadfield, William S. McArthur Jr., and Jerry L. Ross joined them to performed various life sciences.
Duration:8.19 days; Orbiter: Atlantis; Crew: 5; Payload:S/MM 02 Mir Docking, ICBC 05, IMAX, GLO, DSO, MCSA, SAREX, GAS, GPP, Payload/Mir Download-Trek Experiment.
In the crews 6 day flight, Atlantis carried the Russian-built Docking Module, which had multi-mission androgynous docking mechanisms at top and bottom. During the flight to Mir, the crew used the Orbiter's Remote Manipulator System robot arm to hoist the Docking Module from the payload bay and berth its bottom androgynous unit atop Atlantis' Orbiter Docking System.
Atlantis then docked to Kristall using the Docking Module's top androgynous unit. After three days, Atlantis undocked from the Docking Module's bottom androgynous unit and leave the Docking Module permanently docked to Kristall, where it will provide clearance between the Shuttle and Mir's solar arrays during subsequent dockings.
Atlantis took up water, supplies, and equipment, including two new solar arrays -- one Russian and one jointly-developed -- to again upgrade the Mir.
Mission successful by attaching a permanent Russian docking module to an orbiter docking system (MIR), where it will remain for use during
future joint U.S.-Russian missions.
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STS-76 3/22/1996
Commanding the third mission to MIR was Kevin P. Chilton, and piloting the Shuttle Atlantis, was Richard A Searfoss. Going with them, were the mission specialist, Shannon W. Lucid, Michael R. "Rich" Clifford, and Ronald M. Sega. The STS-76 will begin a series of Shuttle-MIR mission that carried a SPACEHAB module onboard. In time, these missions, SPACEHAB modules carried a mix of supplies and scientific equipment to and from Mir.
Duration:9+1 days; Orbiter: Atlantis; Crew: 6 up/5 down; Payload: MIR#3/Spacehab SM.
Dr. Shannon Lucid of the MIR project, entered the history books as the record-holder for the most hours logged in space (July 7, 1996) and also she held the most consecutive days in space for any US astronauts (July 15, 1996). Dr. Lucid has logged on more than 3,364 hours, or about 140.17 days, in space. This is about 13 years after the first American woman astronaut, Sally Ride (STS-7) Also, when Dr. Shannon Lucid was on the Russian Space Station, MIR (she came aboard MIR on March 23, 1996), she has traveled about 45.5 million miles (about half of the Earth-sun distance). Dr. Shannon Lucid and two Russian cosmonauts from MIR, travels about 662,923 miles each day (wow!) in about 68.6 days.
The reason why Dr. Shannon Lucid stayed on MIR is because of problems that occured on the Space Shuttle Atlantis, the SRB (Solid Rocket Boosters) was leaking, she will be picked up in the mission STS-79.
Atlantis is crammed with food!! It was a agreement between NASA and the Russian Space Agency, the cargo bay of Atlantis carries the 3 SpaceHab modules which are
with food for the hungry crew of Mir.
Planned Experiments include the Mir Electric Field Characterization (MEFC) experiment, numerous European Space Agency's (ESA) Baric life sciences experiments, the Queen's University Experiment in Liquid Diffusion (QUELD) experiment, the Optizone Liquid Phase Sintering Experiment (OLIPSE) and a Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Get Away Special (GAS) payload Trapped Ions in Space (TRIS) experiment. TRIS will measure low-energy particle radiation in the inner magnetosphere. Another experiment conducted on Mir during STS-76 will be the Mir Wireless Network Experiment (WNE) which was launched on STS-74 in November 1995.
MIR#3/Spacehab SM successfully performed. Shannon W. Lucid staying in STS-76 till STS-79.
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STS-79 9/12/1996 (A Future Mission)
The scheduled launch for STS-79 is on September 12, 1996 at 6:26 a.m. EDT. This is the target date for this mission, unless some change of weather or part malfunction that will delay this targeted date. The total crew members for this mission is 6, they will be using the orbiter Atlantis. The assigned commander for this mission is William F. Readdy, and the pilot, Terrence W. Wilcutt. Aboard the orbiter Atlantis, four mission specialist will be onboard, and also, Shannon W. Lucid (down from MIR) will be coming back from STS-76. The four mission specialist are: Tom Akers, Jay Apt, Carl Walz, and John Blaha (up to MIR). This will be the 79th shuttle mission, and the fourth MIR docking.
Duration:9+1 days; Orbiter: Atlantis; Crew: 6; Payload: MIR#4/Spacehab DM; Landing: KSC September 21, 1996 at 11:30am (estimated).
The STS-79 mission was delayed until Mid-September because of SRB (Solid Rocket Boosters) problems.
Attenpting to performed MIR#4/Spacehab DM.
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