Subject: mirnews.373
From: "C.M. van den Berg" <[email-masked]>
To: <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 28 Jul 1997 18:41:38 +0200

> 
> MIRNEWS.373                               28 JULY 1997
> 
> Routine: After the announcement of the postponement of the IVA the whole
> crew showed a great disappointment that they would not do that. But
> immediately it was obvious that the the mood on board was much better.
> Though 10 days ago they energetically and skilfully worked on the IVA
> preparations they possibly shrank from the task itself. Many Americans
> expressed concern about the question what the crew would have to  do
during
> the period until their relief. Apparently they thought there on  would be
> an idling bunch of cosmonauts on board.  This is not true at all: Foale
> immediately started to fulfil that part of the experimental program for
> which he does not need the Spektr module: the greenhouse, the study of
> crystalstructures, the beetle experiment and earth observations.  And he
> himself is there: he can continue medical and psychological experiments.
He
> told his American colleagues that the cooled modules Kristall and Priroda
> attract moisture from the rest of the complex and that the greatest
> condensation appears in these modules. 
> 
> Tsibliyev and Lazutkin are now able to concentrate on the preparations
for
> their return and to continue in a more relaxed way maintenance- and
> repairwork of the life support systems. 
> 
> Using airducts and ventilators Lazutkin blew warm air into the Priroda
> module and dried this module as much as possible. In a conversation with
> Mark at TsUP Foale praised Lazutkin for that what he had achieved.  The
> drying of the Priroda made it possible to use it to stow away the hard-
and
> software for the French Pegase expedition and for material and spareparts
> for the lifesystems of the complex. Tsibliyev is again fully in command
and
> presents himself in the way I still remember from his flight in 1993/94. 
> 
> Altair-2: This geostationary satellite is  in use regularly , more than
> Altair-1 in the past, but in view of the fact that 16 windows a day might
> be  possible, they use this possibility relatively seldom.  Altair-2
> enables the crew to have longer conversations with controllers and
experts
> on Earth. Especially Foale extensively uses this opportunity. The
satellite
> is also in use for the exchange of video images and data to Earth. 
> Obviously the use of the transceiver on board for these communications is
> limited due to cooling demands. The transceiver and the Elektron have the
> same coolingloop. 
> 
> Not always the full window for communications via Altair-2 is used.  This
> was the case on 27 and 28.07. 
> 
> Cable disconnection: It is still unknown who is to blame for this
incident.
> The incident took place during a training for the IVA.  During the real
IVA
> this cable has to be disconnected to make it possible to close the hatch
> between Kristall and the P.Kh.O. So this disconnection must have been 
> mentioned in the timetable for the IVA. I wonder whether or not  there
was
> anybody in TsUP  who had to monitor the activities of the crew and to
warn
> them not to disconnect that cable, because this was an exercise and not
the
> real thing.   Head of Flightcontrol Solovyov shouted: 'This is not a
> kindergarten'.  Whom did he cry to: the crew or the people with him on
> Earth?
> 
> Chris  Vandenberg, NL-9165/A-UK3202
>