Subject: MIRNEWS.352
From: "C.M. van den Berg" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Cc: <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 3 Apr 1997 21:03:02 +0200

MIRNEWS.352                                                  3 APRIL 1997

Progress-M34: The launch of this freighter from Baykonur is on schedule for
6.04.1997 at 1904UTC.  If this start will take place and the flight to the
MIR complex will be successful docking can be expected on 8.04.1997 at abt.
1730UTC.  Pr-M34 has to deliver new supplies of fuel, oxygen, water, food
and repairmaterials.  Pr-M34 will also bring 2 spacesuits  for spacewalks
(EVA's) of a new type.  Originally the Russians planned to have a new
Antares transmitter (for communications via the geostationary satellite) 
ready for the flight with Pr-M34, but possibly they cannot make that and
that means that this transmitter will be delivered at MIR by the shuttle
Atlantis in May. 

MIR-routine:  MIR's passes for our position take place during the
nighthours  and in this period all communications are handled by the
trackingstations in the USA Dryden and Wallops and the OKIK's in the East
of Siberia.  For the oxygen production the crew is fully dependent on the
so called 'shashki', the lithium perchlorate cartridges. Daily they
'consume' 2 or 3 cartridges.  The 2 Elektronsystems could not be repaired
and so the crew has to wait for new Elektrons to be delivered by Atlantis. 

Altair-2 (23426 - 94082A): This geostationary satellite recently still over
a subsatellite point over 95 degrees East  has been brought in a somewhat
higher orbit. Now the period is  more than 1436 minutes.  This means that
the subsatellite point is slowly moving to the West. If all goes according
to plan Altair-2 will reach a position over 16 degrees West in the 2d week
of May. 

1st Spacewalk  (EVA) Tsibliyev and Linenger:  This EVA is on schedule for
29.04.1997.

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