Subject: mirnews 343 from Chris
From: "Hans G. Janssen" <[email-masked]>
To: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 12:08:43 +0100

MIRNEWS.343                                                   28 JANUARY 1997

SOYUZ-TM25:   This ship with the crew for the 23d Main Expedition (M.E.) to
MIR, Tsibliyev and Lazutkin, and German's MIR'97 astronaut Reinhold Ewald is
on schedule for launch from Baykonur on 10.02.1997 at 1408UTC.  The
callsigns of this crew are Sirius-1, 2 and 3. If all goes according to plan
S-TM25 will dock at MIR on 12.02.1997 at abt 1553UTC.  Ewald will stay on
board for 18 days and return to Earth with the relieved crew of the 22d
M.E., Korzun and Kaleri.  During the MIR'97 mission DLR's GSOC in
Oberpfaffenhofen will be able to communicate directly with MIR  via
VHF-channels, but possibly also via the quasi-stationary Cosmos-2054
(Altair-1) over 16 degrees W.L.   On 4 and 5.12.1996 GSOC in
Oberpfaffenhofen tested communications via Altair-1 and meanwhile the
intention to use this possibility during MIR'97 and future Euromir missions
has been officially confirmed. 

MIR-routine: The American astronaut Linenger started with his experimental
programs.  He was satisfied about the briefing he got from his colleague
Blaha and is very pleased to be on board MIR. He  had less problems as his
countrymen had during previous flights in finding things for his work.  Of
course he did not found all he needs, but obviously the experience of his
predecessors  led to improvements in that field.  In the framework of his
experimental program he executes  a lot of long and hard physical trainings.
The cooperation with his Russian colleagues is very good.  He submitted a
number of proposals to the American consultative group in Moscow  about his
workplans and  means for the delivery of the results of his work to
scientists on Earth.   He also works on ideas for an adequate logging of all
his activities during  his flight to make the debriefing after his return
easier.  

Chris v.d. Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202