Subject: mirnews.393
From: "C.M. van den Berg" <[email-masked]>
To: "Keith Cowing" <[email-masked]>, "Gianandrea Redaelli" <[email-masked]>, "dirk rensink" <[email-masked]>, "Dave Larsen" <[email-masked]>, "Jonathan McDowell" <[email-masked]>, "Friends Partners Space" <[email-masked]>, "Mats Rieschel" <[email-masked]>, "Igor Lissov" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 3 Nov 1997 15:09:55 +0100

MIRNEWS.393                                3 NOVEMBER 1997

4th Spacewalk (EVA) crew 24th Main Expedition to MIR. 

The EVA lasted from 03.32.30UTC (opening hatch) until 0937UTC (closing
hatch) , so duration 6 hrs 4 mins.  The EVA began later due to a failure in
a telemetry unit of Solovyov's spacesuit.    After the opening of the hatch
 Vinogradov launched the minisputnik PS-2 (or: Sputnik 40 or RS-17). Then
the crew dismantled the MSB-4, the old solarpanel on Kvant-1 (module-E),
which originally was installed on Kristall.  They parked the solarpanel at
the outside of the Base Block. 

The clamps between the segments of the solarpanel had to be opened
electrically from a keyboard inside MIR . Wolf who got instructions from
Solovyov took care of this task. He also made video- and photo-images of
his colleagues.  

Further they installed a cap at the outside of the Base Block to close an
outlet for a new Vozdukh CO2 scrubber. Now this outlet has been sealed off
the crew can install a valve on the inside of the Base Block where a new
Vozdukh will be installed. Through that valve the Vozdukh can blow  CO2 and
water vapour into open space. This valve will be installed on 4.11.1997. If
the crew succeed they can remove the cap from the outersurface during the
next EVA on 6.11.1997. 

The Altair-2 satellite was scarcely used possibly due to the fact that the
area in which the cosmonauts had to work was very close to the ONA, the
Antenna for the Antares transmitter. Altair-2 was in use before and during
the return of the cosmonauts in the airlock of Module-D. Simultanuously
they communicated via the VHF channel on 143.618mc.

PS-2 (Sputnik 40 or RS-17): During the VHF windows of MIR the transmitters
of this minisputnik could be monitored on 145.820 mc. The signals  are not
very strong.  The use of the reception mode USB helps a lot. 

Chris Vandenberg, NL-9165/A-UK3202