Subject: MIRNEWS.354
From: "C.M. van den Berg" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Cc: <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>, <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 9 Apr 1997 12:22:52 +0200

MIRNEWS.354                                                     9 APRIL
1997

Progress-M34:   Without problems the freighter Pr-M34 linked up with the
MIR-complex. The soft docking, the so called 'kasaniye' (touch) took place
on 8.04.97 at 17.30.01UTC. The approach and docking took place in the
automatic mode by the use of the system Kurs.  The Pr-M34 docked at the aft
(Kvant-1  +X axis) docking port. During the 1st  pass of MIR and Pr-M34
(orbits 63618/34) between 1721-1726UTC it was obvious that the approach was
going on.  The crew did not report many details of the approach apart from
the distance: 150 M. Tsibliyev was on the alert to take over manually by
the system TORU, but he met problems with the image on the screen, which he
needed for that operation. In coordination with TsUP he even consulted the
on board documentation to resolve that problem if necessary. So that what I
could derive from radiotraffic did not convince me that the approach was
successful.  Moreover LOS for my position was 4 minutes before the actual
docking.  During the next orbit (63619 - 1856-1903UTC) it was obvious that
the docking had been successfully accomplished: of the 2 hatches between
the Kvant-1 and Pr-M34 the crew already had opened the hatch on the side of
MIR. They had to wait with the opening of the Pr-M34 hatch until the
airseal checks had been completed.  The next orbit everything had been
opened and the crew already had deployed an airhose between the 2 objects.
The mix of the oxygen coming from Pr-M34 with that of MIR did not give any
problems. 

MIR-routine: So for the time being the exploitation of the MIR-spacestation
as a manned complex has been secured.  Now there are sufficient lithium
perchlorate cartridges to ensure the oxygen production until the arrival of
Atlantis in May.  Pr-M34 delivered a lot of spare parts and reparation
material , but whether these are sufficient to do something on the
defective Elektron oxygen machines is not sure.  Let us hope that there is
now enough material to do something on other defective and faltering
systems.  The failure of the CO2 absorption filter Vozdukh emerged less
than a week ago so it is unlikely that the Russians were able to deliver
with Pr-M34  anything for the reparation. Apart from the lithium
perchlorate cartridges Pr-M34 brought a tank with 50 KG pure oxygen. 

Compliments: The Russians deserve our serious compliments for the fact that
they again solved a lot of almost  hopeless problems and thus made the
continuation of the cooperation with NASA  in the IRS Alpha precursor
program possible.  The history of the Russian people that suffered so much 
("mnogostradal'nogo Russkogo naroda") gave the Russians the instinct to
survive during the most inclement circumstances and in spaceflight they
regularly proved that they know how to use that quality. 

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