Subject: MIRNEWS.346
From: "C.M. van den Berg" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 23 Feb 1997 16:03:00 +0100

Hello Jonathan!!  Here again a modest MIR-report.   We are trying to resume
our normal life as much as possible after this difficult and hectic period.
  Thanks very much for your condolences.

Kindest regards, 

Chris

MIRNEWS.346                                      22 FEBRUARY 1997

MIR'97:  Dr. Reinhold Ewald amuses himself well on board of the
MIR spacestation.  His private domain is in the Module
Kristall (T). His American colleague Linenger has his private
quarters in the Module Spektr (O).  He is sleeping there , has
room for personal belongings and he found a free surface on the
wall to fasten some photographs.  Korzun will remain commander  
of the complex until his departure on 2.03.1997.
Ewald coordinates the experiments which he has to execute
during this mission with Sigmund J„hn (at TsUP) or with
Hans Schlegel (in GSOC).  From the radiotraffic could be derived
that Ewald is on schedule with the MIR'97 experimental program. Now 
and then something goes wrong. This was the case with an
experiment planned for 19.02.1997:  In the framework of a medical
experiment he had to drink 200 ml  tomato-juice with salt, but 
bad quality of the juice made this impossible.  The experiments
with the Titus-oven, the French Alice-2 installation (studies of
the characteristics of liquids), MEDEX  (medical experiments) and
others have been successfully executed thusfar.  

Anniversaries:  On 20.02.1997 Tsibliyev celibrated his 43d
birthday.  Exactly 11 years ago the Baseblok of MIR was launched. 
(20.02.1986 OO29 TsUP time; 19.02.1986 2129 UTC)
  
Problems with a gyrodyne:  On the eve of these anniversaries the
crew had to solve a serious problem.  On 19.02.1997 during the
pass in orbit 62876 (1521-1527UTC)  TsUP gave Korzun data, which
had to be loaded in the system Svet for the movements control of
the complex. Korzun asked what the reason was. TsUP informed him
that Telemetry had revealed a malfunction of a gyrodyne in Kvant-2
(Module-D).  In the evening and night the crews had to work hard to
eliminate this failure. 

Communications:  Contrary to previous expectations the German GSOC
Oberpfaffenhofen not very often utilizes the possibility for direct 
links with MIR via the (almost) geostationary Altair-1 (Cosmos-2054). 
Apart from the 143.625 mc,  Ewald  regularly uses the so called
UKW-2  (VHF-2) on 130.165 mc for communications with his
consultants  (Sigmund J„hn) at TsUP and (Hans Schlegel)  in GSOC.
Now and then Linenger can be heard on that frequency with the
American consultative group in TsUP .  The 145.800 mc is the
downlink ham frequency for Packet radio or phone.  Mostly Korzun can
be heard here.  A few times Ewald used this facility for contacts
with German radio-amateurs. He uses the callsign DL2MIR.   In the
simplex mode he sometimes can be heard on 145.925 mc.  

Chris v.d. Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202  E-m: [email-masked]