Subject: mirnews.390
From: "C.M. van den Berg" <[email-masked]>
To: "Igor Lissov" <[email-masked]>, "Mats Rieschel" <[email-masked]>, "Friends Partners Space" <[email-masked]>, "Jonathan McDowell" <[email-masked]>, "Dave Larsen" <[email-masked]>, "dirk rensink" <[email-masked]>, "Gianandrea Redaelli" <[email-masked]>
Cc: <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 16:33:31 +0100

MIRNEWS.390                                     15 OCTOBER 1997

Progress-M36:  The opening of the hatches took place on 9.10 at abt
0830UTC. Thsufar the crew did not spend much time for the unloading of the
ship.  Among the normal cargo Pr-M36 delivered the spare SUD (attitude
control) computer,   the mini-sputnik-1 and the German/Russian satellite
Inspector. 

On 12.10 during a long TV-session via Altair-2  with relatives the crew
showed the little Sputnik.  

MIR-routine: The crew replaced some accumulators in the Base Block and the
Module-D (Kvant-2) and rearranged other batteries to ensure a better
charging.  Now and then the crew has to collect condensation water. 
Vinogradov reported that the module Priroda is dry. 

The next spacewalk (EVA, so this time an IVA) will be made inside the
module Spektr. This is the 3d one for this MIR-crew (the 3d for Solovyov)
the 2d for Vinogradov. The  IVA is on schedule for 20.10 from 0855UTC and
will last about 5hrs 30mins. 

The preparations for this IVA began after the arrival of Pr-M36 and
intensivated from 13.10.97.  The crew will have to replace an electronic
unit in the Spektr. This unit has to control the servomotors to aim the
solarpanels.  The unit in the Spektr did not survive the vacuum in that
module and will be replaced by the same device still installed in the
module Kristall.  On 13 and 14.10 the cosmonauts worked on the spacesuits
(this time again the Orlan-DMA). They connected tanks,  devices,  a.s.o.
and  checked the airtightness. On 14.10 the  crew continued the
preparations for the work to be done. On 15.10 they underwent medical
tests. 

The 4th EVA  MIR-crew: This external spacewalk is tentatively scheduled for
3.11.97.  During this EVA they will have to remove the old solar panel on
the module E (Kvant-1).  The  new Russian solar panel which is still stored
at the outersurface of the SO (docking compartment) will be installed
during an EVA in the future. 

Minor technical problems: Now and then minor technical problems emerge: On
10.10 a minor repair of the Elektron and the BKV (a.c.) and in the evening
TsUP derives from Telemetry that the pressure in a KOB (heating loop)
increased. On 12.10 they had to economize electrical energy and to switch
off some systems. On 14.10  a ventilator of the Vozdukh CO-2 scrubber
failed and had to be switched off. During the next orbit the Vozdukh worked
well. 

David Wolf:  

David is very busy with his experiments.  He even sometimes had no  time
for lunch. Like his predecessor Foale he also handles the Packet Radio
traffic on the service channel. In a conversation with relatives (possibly
his parents and grandmother) he said that all was well, but that he was
yearning for a pizza and a beer. Now and then David can be heard during
radio-amateurtraffic on 145.985 mc. 

Mini-sputnik-1: This little satellite (3 KG) will be jettisoned during the
first EVA,  so possibly on 3.11.97.  The transmissions can be heard on
145.800 mc.  The output  will  be 0.2 Watt. The antenna polarisation is
circular, but as there is no attitude control the received signal may have
clockwise or counter clockwise polarisation.  The modulation will be FM and
the audio tone about. 1.3 kc varying with the temperature. The endurance of
the power supply batteries  will be about  30 days. 

Chris Vandenberg, NL-9165/A-UK3202.