Subject: MIRNEWS.391
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]>
Date: Wed, 22 Oct 1997 15:48:55 +0100

MIRNEWS.391                                           22 OCTOBER 1997

Rehearsal Internal spacewalk (IVA) on 17.10.1997:

This rehearsal lasted some hours.  David Wolf stayed in the descent module
of the Soyuz-TM26 ship   from where he now and then communicated with TsUP
or his working crewmates.  Solovyov and Vinogradov tried to train for the
IVA as realistically as possible. The original plan to replace the steering
interface for the solarpanels from the Kristall to the Spektr module had
been abandonned: installing this device with clumsy spacesuit gloves is a
'mission impossible'. So the only way to insert the Kristall interface  in
the circuitry for the servomotors of the solarpanels on Spektr was to
deploy cables from the connection for these motors to the  interface in
Kristall. During the IVA Vinogradov has to connect 3 cables between the
servomotors and the inside of the vacuumplate. 

Progress-M36:  During the IVA the docking device of this freighter had to
be depressurized.  On Saturday, 18.10 the crew could not open a valve for
this depress. Solovyov compared this with an equal experience he had during
his short stay in  MIR in  June 1988, when Vladimir Titov was the
commander.  Probably the failure was caused by a failing switch. The crew
resolved the problem on 19.10.

IVA on 20.10: Opening of the hatch 45 minutes later than planned at
0940UTC. The delay was caused by the fact that it lasted longer to put on
the Orlan-DMA spacesuits and a valve to one of the modules which failed to
close. When the hatch was opened MIR was still out of range of the Altair-2
Comm. Sat . Vinogradov was the first to enter the Spektr module, followed
by Solovyov who supported him and  gave him instructions  about his
movements and what he had to do. The cosmonauts were surprised by the chaos
they found inside Spektr.  A lot of goods was floating around: 7 bags with
experiments and personal belongings of Foale,  a hometrainer (bicycle),
some covers or lids, one of them belonging to  the refrigerator, loose
panels, the dockingdevice of the Spektr and a lot of dangling cables. 
Vinogradov had to be very careful not to get entangled in cables or
structures. Solovyov told Vinogradov what he saw  and instructed him how to
restore order and where to stow away and fasten the goods. 

During the IVA David Wolf stayed in one of the seats of the Descent Module 
of S-TM26. He made images of the earth, for instance Africa, and checked
the lifesystems of 'his ship': temperature, pressure and quality of the
atmosphere over there, whether it was necessary or not to add oxygen,
a.s.o.  He mostly communicated with TsUP. Sometimes the cosmonauts spoke
with him, saying 'Hello First Mate'  (shturman).    

At last the cosmonauts began to execute their main task:connecting 3 cables
between the  servo motors  of the solar panels with   contacts on the
vacuumplate between Spektr and the P.Kh.O. (transition section). It was
very difficult but after consuming a lot of time Vinogradov managed to
connect all three of them.  Enormous difficulties they met during the last
stage of the work:  connecting the 3 cables with the contacts of the
vacuumplate.

                                                   -2-

                                                   -2-
The stiff, unwilling cables had to be attached firmly to those contacts. To
make this possible Vinogradov used a spanner,  manufactured for this
operation and  recently delivered to the station. The cables regularly
popped out. Finally Vinogradov attached and fastened 2 of the 3 cables, but
the 3d one was so recalcitrant that after struggling with it for almost 90
minutes Vinogradov did not succeed.  He tried to this with the spanner and
even took a long screwdriver to try to reach the bolt and fasten this. The
length of the spanner was too short to use while holding it with a
spacesuit glove. Later on Solovyov reported a second imperfection of this
spanner: the coating at the inside of the head   was too smooth to get a
firm grip on the bolt.  

At 1524UTC TsUP told Solovyov that in 15 minutes the limit of 6 hours (the
guaranteed endurance of the spacesuits) would be reached. If the cosmonauts
preferred to continue 
the 'struggle' they could do this using the 'emergency oxygen supply'.
Their eagerness to accomplish the full task was so strong that they decided
to go on.  After 38 minutes they returned to the transition section and
closed the hatch, leaving the 3d cable  dangling (and possibly laughing) 
behind. 

During those 38 minutes there was no communication between MIR and TsUP and
for a long time TsUP did not know what had happened and the time of the
closure of the hatch. They reported that this took place at 1618UTC.  Great
relief when during the pass in orbit 66661 (1642UTC) the cosmonauts could
be heard again. They almost could not speak and breathed heavily.  They
were very disappointed about that 3d cable.  Nevertheless TsUP heartily
congratulated them with the partial success. These congratulations more or
less gilded the pill
 
Chris Vandenberg,  NL-9165/A-UK3202