Subject: mirnews.395
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: Tue, 18 Nov 1997 20:25:08 +0100

MIRNEWS.395                            17 NOVEMBER 1997       

MIR routine:   Last week the cosmonauts repaired heating- and coolingloops,
the S.R.V.-U, (system for regeneration of  water  -for technical purposes-
from urine) and they deployed and connected cables for the new installed
solar panel. Solovyov regularly reported that the solar panel which could
not be aimed to the sun automatically reacted well on manual commands and
every time achieved a good angle towards the sun. 

David Wolf: Due to the problems with the airlock (S.Sh.O.) of Module-D
David cannot sleep in module-D's P.N.O. (Instrument- and science
compartment).  He moved to the Kristall module.  His new 'room' is also in
use for the stowage of foodboxes,  bags and other cargo. He has not enough
time to do all his experiments and often his working day ends just before
he goes to bed.  He told his American friends in TsUP that there is a great
difference between the time needed for work and experiments in space and
the time for the same activities on earth.  Interruptions during his work,
for instance lunches, physical exercises,  comm. sessions, replacing and
moving things,  sometimes triple the scheduled time for that work.  His
friend on earth promised to do something to  enlighten his workload and to
extend his possibilities to do physical exercises.  These exercises are
badly needed to build up the  condition of David who will participate in an
EVA in early December. 

Leakage hatch airlock Module-D (Sh.S.O): After pressurizing the airlock 20
mm mercury was lost in 3 days. After an EVA in 1990 (made by Solovyov and
Balandin) a support of this hatch was  bent  and later on repaired, but the
hatch had always to be secured by extra clamps.  (After his EVA  on
6.09.1997 Foale had to close that hatch and to install these clamps or
latches.  Russian word: fiksatory.)

During daylight in the U.S.A. on 13.11.1997 David used the Altair-2
facilities to tell his compatriots about his life on board MIR. While one
of his crewmates accompanied him with a video camera David went to his
laboratory and gave an explanation about the instruments and experiments
over there.  He showed a monitor with  laser images of the surfaces of
crystalls which had been cultivated in space. He told that the data of the
experiments are transmitted to experts on earth, who draw conclusions and
give additonal instructions for this work.  He showed instruments which are
connected to sensors at the outersurface of the station for the measurement
of all kinds of radiation from  space.  David emphasized that the station,
just like the shuttles, is very clean. 

After his demonstration he addressed himself to a meeting of a Jewish
federation in Indianapolis. He told that they flew over Israel an hour or
so ago and contradictory to  most other countries the borders of Israel are
clearly visible  from space. He wished the people over there a successful
meeting,  he regretted the fact that he was not able to participate and
stressed that he very much appreciated what the federation was doing for
mankind. 

On 13 as well as on 14.11.1997 the day began with a rotation of the complex
for an optimal sun angle of the solarpanels.  On 14.11. the crew tested the
new installed solarpanel on Kvant-1 (Module-E).  During this test the power
supply in the Base Block failed. So did the S.U.D. (movements control
system) in the B.B. and the gyrodynes spinned down. 

Consequently other systems had to be switched off: for instance the
Elektron (oxygen generator) and the Vozdukh (CO2 filter).  The oxygen level
in MIR gave no concern and so the burning of lithium perchloride cartridges
was not needed.  To reduce the CO2 level purification cartridges were used.

Experiments: David had to interrupt his experimental work temporarily. 

The first measure to restore   power supply in the Base Block was to
replace the exhausted accumulator batteries by fully loaded ones from the
Kristall module. 

Solovyov and Vinogradov kept watch in the nights from 14 to 15 and 15 to
16.11.   In the early morning hours of 15.11 the crew (or some of them)
were in the Soyuz-TM26 and used the transceiver of that ship on 121.750 mc.

Gradually the station soaked up enough energy and most of the systems could
be reactivated in the course of 16.11.1997.  The SUD was working again and
all gyrodynes were spinning. 

Main task  in  week from 17.11.97:   The installation of the new Vozdukh
(CO2 scrubber) in the Base Block. 
  
Chris v.d. Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202