Mir Mission Status Reports
Mir-21 - Week of April 5, 1996
MISSION CONTROL CENTER -- MOSCOW
Mir Status Report #1
8 a.m. CST / 5 p.m. DMT -- Friday, April 5, 1996A week after Atlantis’ undocking from the Mir Space Station, the Mir-21 crew has settled into an on-orbit routine of experiment work, including material and life sciences research as well as Earth observations that begins a permanent U.S. presence in space. Meanwhile, at the Baikonur launch site in Kazahkstan, the Priroda module scheduled for launch later this month is in its final stages of preparation.
U.S. Astronaut and Mir-21 Flight Engineer-2 Shannon Lucid and her Russian Cosmonaut colleagues Commander Yuri Onufriyenko and Flight Engineer-1 Yury Usachev have begun a series of experiments designed to be carried out over the course of their long-duration flight that will better demonstrate what life on the International Space Station will be like.
Officially Lucid became a member of the Mir-21 crew while Atlantis was docked to the station a week and a half ago. Since the Shuttle’s departure, her activities, along with the cosmonauts’ are coordinated at the Mission Control Center in Kaliningrad outside Moscow with inputs from a NASA science expert consulting group also in Moscow.
This week the crew has focused on the first of many experiments called the Optizon Liquid Phase Sintering Experiment, or OLiPSE. The American experiment is the first designed to be conducted in the Russian furnace. The Optizon furnace operates at high- temperatures to process materials for further study on the ground.
The crew will work with the experiment well into next week to complete the processing of 70 samples of different metals for varying lengths of time in the furnace. The samples were brought up on Atlantis and will be returned for analysis by the University of Alabama, Huntsville, Teledyne Advanced Metals and Kennametals Inc., on Atlantis’ next flight.
The microgravity environment of space significantly affects metallurgical properties during the melting process which will allow investigators the opportunity to extrapolate the results and improve industrial technology areas such as cutting tool quality.
Other activities aboard the station this week included Earth observations with most of the scheduled sites being photographed. Photography could be interrupted for the next week or so due to the attitude, or position, of the station in support of other scientific investigations.
Long-term protein crystal growth experiments are being conducted as well as space acceleration measurements that could affect the growth process. A unique container filled with cold gaseous nitrogen surrounding protein samples keeping them frozen was launched aboard Atlantis and has slowly begun "thawing" allowing the crystal growth process to begin. The crystals will be grown for the duration of the mission.
Daily monitoring of the quail egg experiment is being conducted as are periodic fixations of eggs throughout the mission at various stages of development. This study will provide additional insight into embryonic development to evaluate changes due to the weightlessness of space.
Next week the crew will continue to operate these experiments throughout its workday which typically begins with wakeup around 8 a.m. The crew’s sleep period begins about 11 p.m.
The Priroda science module, which will complete the assembly of the Mir, remains scheduled for launch on April 23 from Baikonur and dock with Mir on the 26th. Today the shroud and nosecone were scheduled to be installed around the module and Monday the Russian version of the flight readiness review will be held. Tuesday, the module is scheduled to be transferred to the launch processing facility for integration into the Proton rocket.
Priroda, the Russian term for ‘Nature,’ will be used primarily to study the Earth for ecological and environmental purposes.
The Mir-21 crew will hold a press conference tentatively scheduled for 10 a.m. CDT on April 11 to discuss the progress of their mission with U.S.-based press. The time will be firmed up early next week.
Today is Onufriyenko and Usachev’s 42th day aboard Mir since being launched aboard a Soyuz rocket a month and a half ago, and Lucid’s 14th.
The next Mir-21 status report will be filed Friday, April 12, a day rich in space history marking the 35th anniversary of the first human in space, Yuri Gagarin, and the 15th anniversary of the first Space Shuttle mission.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
Mir
Increment
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Mir-21 - Week of April 12, 1996
MISSION CONTROL CENTER -- MOSCOW
Mir Status Report #2
9 a.m. CDT / 5 p.m. DMT
Friday, April 12, 1996The Mir-21 crew spent this week conducting experiments, monitoring others and performing some minor maintenance procedures as part of routine activities on the Russian space station. The week included a number of television downlinks of the crew talking with family members, school children and reporters about life on an orbiting laboratory.
The week ended with the crew celebrating Cosmonautics Day and the 15th anniversary of the first Space Shuttle launch. Family members and friends of the cosmonauts talked with the crew on a two-way video link to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the first human in space -- Yuri Gagarin’s flight in 1961. The cosmonauts also recognized today as the anniversary of Columbia’s launch on STS-1 in 1981.
This week the crew continued work with the Optizon Liquid Phase Sintering Experiment, or OLiPSE. Sample processing has continued nearly every day with the crew producing metallurgical samples in vials heated in a high temperature furnace on Mir. Each vial contains 5 samples. The sample processing will continue next week as well.
Acceleration measurements are being taken aboard the station at various locations to help scientists determine the best and worst locations for experiment operations. The Space Acceleration Measurement System, or SAMS, is strategically placed to characterize the environment of the laboratory in relation to any variations, or movements, in the environment that might disrupt experiment operations. SAMS records fluctuations that will allow scientists to interpret results of investigations and to learn how to avoid regions of the station that are highly susceptible to movements that would disrupt experiment work.
Daily monitoring of the quail egg experiment is being conducted as are periodic fixations of eggs throughout the mission at various stages of development. Thus far, eight eggs have been fixated and Lucid reported seeing embryo development in some of the eggs. This study will provide additional insight into embryonic development to evaluate changes due to the weightlessness of space.
Thursday, Commander Yuri Onufriyenko, Flight Engineer-1 Yury Usachev and Flight Engineer-2 Shannon Lucid took part in two press conferences -- one with Russian media and one with American media -- to discuss the mission, life in space and the anniversaries. Questions during the Russian press conference ranged from where they sleep to what language they speak on the station. That question elicited a joking response from Usachev, who said "Mainly Russian, but we try to learn more English words so Shannon won’t forget her English." The crew also said it was preparing for the arrival of the newest science module Priroda scheduled for launch later this month.
On Tuesday, the crew answered questions from high school students at the Ulyanovsk school located about 200 miles outside of Moscow, taking part in the Fourth Aerospace Festival. Questions to all crewmembers on Mir ranged from where the station was currently located, to whether the two cosmonaut crewmembers were planning to vote in the June presidential election. The cosmonauts said they planned to vote absentee, but hadn’t decided for which candidate they would vote. "Peach apricot drink" was Lucid’s answer to a question of her favorite beverage. She responded to another that she does not like to cook.
Ulyanovsk (Lenin’s original family name) is where Lenin went to school and is a city known for commercial and cargo transport aircraft production.
The crew’s work schedule is laid out in the form of a cyclogram, which is similar to a Shuttle Flight Plan. The cyclogram is generated four days ahead of schedule with real- time modifications and inputs sent to the crew via radiograms or separate messages. A group of experts from NASA is serving as consultants to the Russian flight control team for scheduling and is on duty in the Mission Control Center in Kaliningrad outside Moscow, throughout the crew’s work day which typically begins with wakeup around 8 a.m. and ends at approximately 11 p.m. (midnight to 3 p.m. CDT).
Mir’s final science module, Priroda or ‘Nature,’ is ready for launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch complex. The shroud and nosecone were installed last Friday and the final management meeting -- the Russian version of the flight readiness review -- was conducted Monday. The module was transferred to the launch processing facility for integration into its Proton rocket on Tuesday. Launch is now targeted for April 26 with docking to Mir scheduled three days later on April 29. Priroda will be used primarily to study the Earth for ecological and environmental purposes.
Today is Onufriyenko and Usachev’s 49th day aboard Mir since being launched aboard a Soyuz rocket February 21. Lucid joined the crew during Atlantis’ STS-76 mission and has been a member of the Mir-21 crew for almost 3 weeks.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of April 19, 1996
MISSION CONTROL CENTER -- MOSCOW
Mir Status Report #3
9 a.m. CDT / 5 p.m. DMT
Friday, April 19, 1996The Mir-21 crew spent the week conducting science experiments, documenting Earth observation sites, performing small scale maintenance procedures and searching for a small, pesky leak in one of the thermal cooling loops on the station. The two cosmonauts and one astronaut also began preparations for the arrival next week of the last science module that will complete Mir’s configuration.
Priroda or ‘Nature,’ is scheduled for launch at 6:48 a.m. CDT (14:48 DMT) Tuesday, April 23 from the Baikonur Cosmodrome launch complex. Priroda will be used primarily to study the Earth for ecological and environmental purposes. The State Commission left for Baikonur today in anticipation of the launch.
Cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev, told the crew this week that some replanning will be done in anticipation of Priroda’s arrival at the end of next week. Batteries mounted inside the module used to provide electricity while en route to Mir, will have to be disconnected and safed until the Progress resupply craft arrives in mid-May. The batteries will be stored inside Progress and disposed of when the craft undocks and burns up in the Earth’s atmosphere. The scheduled spacewalks on May 6 and 8 will be rescheduled to allow for scheduling the battery removal from Priroda.
A small internal leak in one of the two coolant loops which runs along the wall of the core module was detected early in the week when a slight pressure decrease was noticed. The crew has spent some time looking for the leak with no success at this point. The loop has been turned off and the alternate, or redundant loop, is being used. There is no health risk to the crew and the search has had little impact on science operations. The onboard condensate collector (used to remove humidity from the cabin atmosphere) is operating to prevent any chance of contaminating the drinking water.
Last weekend was one of rest and relaxation as Commander Yuri Onufriyenko, Flight Engineer-1 Yury Usachev and Flight Engineer-2 Shannon Lucid celebrated Cosmonautics Day last Friday. The crew had the weekend off in celebration of the Orthodox Easter on Sunday. Family members, colleagues and guests talked to the crewmembers during audio and video links to the station throughout the weekend and this week.
The crew continued work with the Optizon Liquid Phase Sintering Experiment. Sample processing has continued nearly every day with the crew processing metallurgical samples in vials heated in a high temperature furnace on Mir. Each vial contains 5 samples. OLiPSE processing should be completed this weekend.
The Space Acceleration Measurement System is continuing to be strategically placed at various locations throughout the station to measure the slightest movements that can assist experimenters in correlating any changes noticed in data postflight. SAMS will be located in Priroda as well and a summary schedule has been laid out with Russian flight planners as to specific locations for the unit once the module arrives.
Periodic radiation measurements are being taken by the crew as routine work throughout the flight. The dosimeter is moved throughout the station to gather radiation data at various locations.
The crew reported that it has fixed the body mass measuring device, or BMMD, used to calculate the crew members body mass throughout the flight. The unit broke earlier in the mission and is now operating fine. Other biomedical experiments, including blood work is considered an almost daily task for the crew.
The Mir-22 and Mir-24 crew members talked to their colleagues currently on the station about their recent training activities at the Johnson Space Center and future trips to Mir.
Cosmonauts Gennadi Manakov, Pavel Vinogradov and French Astronaut Claudie Andre- Deshays -- the next crew to launch to the station in July -- visited with the Mir-21 crew on a two-way video link last weekend as part of the Cosmonautics Day celebration. Mir-24 crewmembers Valeri Korzun and Alexander Kaleri, talked to the current Mir crew Thursday morning. The Mir-23 and Mir-25 crews remain in the U.S., undergoing training on Space Shuttle systems.
At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, NASA Astronauts continue to prepare for future stays aboard Mir, training along with cosmonauts colleagues. The next astronaut to stay on Mir, John Blaha, returned from the U.S. April 14 following completion of his last science training session at JSC. This week he continued training on Mir systems and trained on medical countermeasures procedures he will utilize on orbit. Blaha will launch aboard Atlantis and replace Lucid during the next Shuttle/Mir docking mission scheduled for August.
Jerry Linenger and Mike Foale, the astronauts that will follow Blaha with stays aboard Mir, are in the U.S. for training and will return to Star City this weekend. Astronaut Jim Voss remains in Russia undergoing language training and familiarization training at Star City.
Wendy Lawrence, NASA director of operations in Russia, has completed her second week as the NASA director of operations having taken over for Charlie Precourt who recently returned to the U.S. to begin training as commander of the sixth mission of Atlantis to dock with Mir -- STS-84 -- scheduled for the spring of 1997. In addition to overseeing astronaut training activities at Star City, she also is taking Russian language classes several times a week.
Today is Onufriyenko and Usachev’s 56th day aboard Mir since being launched aboard a Soyuz rocket February 21. Lucid joined the crew during Atlantis’ STS-76 mission and has been a member of the Mir-21 crew for 28 days.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of April 26, 1996
MISSION CONTROL CENTER -- MOSCOW
Mir Status Report #4
9 a.m. CDT / 5 p.m. DMT
Friday, April 26, 1996The Priroda science module made a flawless automated docking with the Mir Space Station today to complete Mir’s final configuration. The docking occurred at 7:43 a.m. Central time (3:45 p.m. Moscow time).
Used primarily to study the Earth for ecological and environmental purposes, the Priroda is carrying additional science equipment for microgravity research. The addition of the Priroda module will complete the Mir Space Station once it is pivoted into place Saturday through the use of a small robotic arm on the module.
The crew also spent the week conducting science experiments, Earth observations and continued their search for a small leak in one of the station’s thermal cooling loops.
The small internal leak is one of the two coolant loops which runs along the wall of the core module. The crew has looked for the leak but has not found it. The loop has been turned off and the alternate, or redundant loop, is being used. The leak has no impact to the mission.
The crew completed the Optizon/Liquid Phase Sintering Experiment on April 20 with the melting of the final sample in the Mir’s high temperature. Postflight analysis of the results will determine if Earth- based sintering technology can be enhanced.
The Mir-21 protein crystal growth experiments are proceeding nominally. The Space Acceleration Measurement System has been supporting this research. Strategically placed near the experiment, SAMS measures the slightest Mir movements. This data will assist experimenters in correlating any changes noticed in data postflight. Yesterday, SAMS was relocated to the KVANT module to support the protein crystal growth experiment.
Mir crew member Shannon Lucid also is conducting an inventory of U.S. hardware on the space station. She completed a survey of the Spektr module and sent the information to the ground. This information will be used to update flight documentation and planning.
John Blaha, the astronaut that will follow Shannon Lucid with a stay aboard Mir, continues training in the Mir simulators. Next week, Jerry Linenger and Mike Foale will train in the Hydrolab, the Russian swimming pool that is used to simulate the weightless environment of space. For this training, they will wear the Russian Orlan space suit and undergo extravehicular activity training--the first Americans to do so. Astronaut Jim Voss is continuing language training and familiarization training at Star City.
Today is Cosmonauts Yuri Onufriyenko and Yury Usachev’s 63rd day aboard Mir since being launched aboard a Soyuz rocket February 21. Lucid joined the crew during Atlantis’ STS-76 mission and has been a member of the Mir-21 crew for 34 days.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of May 3, 1996
MISSION CONTROL CENTER -- MOSCOW
Mir Status Report #5
9 a.m. CDT / 5 p.m. DMT
Friday, May 3, 1996The Mir-21 crew spent the week conducting science experiments and preparing the Priroda science module which docked with the Mir Space Station on April 26.
In readying the Priroda module for science activities, U.S. astronaut Shannon Lucid, Mir-21 Commander Yuri Onufriyenko and Flight Engineer Yury Usachev first removed 168 car-size batteries. These batteries were used to provide Priroda with electricity while en route to Mir. The batteries were wrapped in plastic bags and will be left in Priroda until the unmanned Progress resupply vehicle arrives next week. The batteries then will be placed in the Progress and disposed of when it is released from Mir to burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere.
The Progress M-31 resupply craft, carrying food, fuel and supplies, is scheduled to be launched on a Soyuz rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sunday and is scheduled to dock to the Mir on Tuesday.
The Priroda battery wrapping activity was scheduled to take six days but the crew accomplished it in less than two days. The crew also connected Priroda to the Mir’s power system and has been troubleshooting a Priroda power system problem detected during rendezvous. The new module’s power system should be fully functional by early next week. The first science activities are scheduled to begin in Priroda next Friday.
As part of her Earth observations work, Mir crew member Shannon Lucid took photographs of the fires burning out of control in Mongolia. Lucid, a veteran of four previous space flights, reported that she had never before seen such large fires from space.
The Ambient Diffusion Controlled Protein Crystal Growth experiment and the Protein Crystal Growth investigations are proceeding nominally. The crew activated the Space Acceleration Measurement System in support of the PCG Dewar experiment on April 26 for 48 hours. SAMS measures the slightest Mir movements. This data collection opportunity captured both the Priroda docking and repositioning. The information will assist scientists in correlating any changes noticed in their experiment data postflight.
At the cosmonaut training center in Star City, astronaut John Blaha received training on the active dosimetry experiment that he will be performing on his mission. Blaha arrive on the Mir in August to take over U.S. science work from Lucid. Astronauts Jerry Linenger and Mike Foale participated in their first extravehicular activity training in the ORLAN, the Russian EVA space suit. Linenger and Foale are now in Germany, where they joined the Mir-23 crew for training in preparation for the upcoming German-Mir ’96 mission.
Astronaut Jim Voss participated in language and physical training before leaving for Houston and two weeks of vacation.
Mir-21 Cosmonauts Onufriyenko and Usachev today marked their 72nd day in space and 70th day aboard Mir since being launched aboard a Soyuz rocket February 21. Lucid, who joined the Mir-21 crew during Atlantis’ STS-76 mission, has been on Mir for 41 days.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of May 10, 1996
MISSION CONTROL CENTER -- MOSCOW
Mir Status Report #6
9 a.m. CDT / 5 p.m. DMT
Friday, May 10, 1996The Mir-21 crew has been busy unloading the Progress resupply vehicle and preparing the Priroda module for Sunday’s startup of science activities.
The rendezvous and docking of the unmanned Progress vehicle with Mir on May 7, was fully automated with docking occurring on the first attempt. This was the first automated docking with Mir since it attained its final configuration on April 26, with the addition of the Priroda science module.
The Mir crew activated the Space Acceleration Measurement System in support of the Protein Crystal Growth Dewar experiment during the Progress docking. SAMS measures the slightest Mir movements. This information will assist scientists in correlating any changes noticed in the growth of their protein crystals postflight.
Radiation measurements are being taken by the crew as routine work throughout the mission. The dosimeters are mounted throughout the station to gather radiation data at various locations. Radiation data stored electronically on the Tissue Equilvalent Proportional Counter was called down by the crew.
The crew continued troubleshooting the Priroda power system problem. They replaced three NiCad batteries and checked out the system but did not activate it. The crew’s work seems to have fixed the problem. The Priroda power system should be fully functional by next week.
Astronaut Shannon Lucid prepared the Mir Interface Payload System for a downlink test which was successful. MIPS will play an important role in downlinking data to scientists on the ground.
Lucid also conducted blood analysis using the Portable Clinical Blood Analyzer.
In preparation of Priroda science activities, Lucid has been reviewing experiment procedures and her pre-mission training using an audio-video system called Crew On-Orbit Support System. This is the first flight of this system, which if successful may be used on other long duration missions including those on the International Space Station.
Last night, Lucid made a telephone call to her parents in Oklahoma in honor of her mother who was celebrating her 81st birthday. Tomorrow, Lucid will see and talk with her family in Houston through a two-way video conference in advance of Mother’s Day.
Cosmonauts Yuri Onufriyenko and Yury Usachev today marked their 77th day aboard Mir since being launched aboard a Soyuz rocket February 21. Lucid, who joined the Mir-21 crew during Atlantis’ STS-76 mission, has been on Mir for 48 days.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of May 17, 1996
MISSION CONTROL CENTER -- MOSCOW
Mir Status Report #7
9 a.m. CDT / 5 p.m. DMT
Friday, May 17, 1996The Mir-21 crew has been busy performing Mir housekeeping and maintenance as they completed readying Priroda for science operations.
U.S. astronaut Shannon Lucid, Mir-21 Commander Yuri Onufriyenko and Flight Engineer Yury Usachev are also gearing up for two spacewalks by Onufriyenko and Usachev next week. Onufriyenko and Usachev will venture outside Mir early Tuesday, Moscow time, to conduct a five-hour spacewalk, their second of the mission, to move a Cooperative Solar Array jointly developed by the U.S. and Russia from the Docking Module to the Kvant-1 module. Another spacewalk will be conducted early Saturday, May 25, to unfurl the array. A second array housed on the Docking Module which was built by Russian engineers will be attached to Kvant-1 in the fall.
The first science facility the crew setup in the Priroda module was the BioTechnology System. A functional checkout was performed and the facility is reported to be performing well. This facility is designed to support long-duration cell culture experiments in the microgravity environment of space.
The Mir crew also has been preparing two Canadian experiments for activation. The Microgravity Isolation Mount (MIM) and the Queens University Experiment in Liquid Diffusion experiments are scheduled over the next two weeks. To support these experiments, Enhanced Dynamic Load Sensors have been setup around the MIM work area to record crew member activities. This information will assist scientists post-mission in correlating any changes noticed in their experiments. Once the glovebox facility begins science operations, the sensors will be moved to the glovebox area for the duration of the Mir-21 mission.
The crew has activated the Priroda module despite a problem with its power system. Since replacing three bad NiCad batteries last week, another power controller has failed. As a result, flight controllers at the Mission Control Center in Kaliningrad now will monitor and control battery charging from the ground. There is no impact to crew safety or mission performance.
The crew also continues to search for a small internal leak in one of two coolant loops. The crew has now isolated the leak to a section of tubing which runs behind the wall of the Core module. There continues to be no health risk to the crew, but there is no indication when the leak will be repaired.
It was a busy week for U.S. astronauts training for future flights to the Mir at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, as the STS-81 crew arrived for four days of training with the Mir-22 crew and U.S. astronauts John Blaha and Jerry Linenger. The STS-81 crew received classes on the construction, components, life support and communication systems of the Mir Space Station. They also had several sessions with the Mir-22 crew and their backups, discussing docking and transfer procedures.
When Blaha wasn’t training with the STS-81 crew, he worked with several science experiments he will conduct during his stay on the Mir. He also had the opportunity to visit the Russian Mission Control Center to talk to Lucid about the progress of her flight.
Linenger’s other training included several classes on the emergency evacuation procedures used onboard Mir, in addition to two sessions in the altitude chamber. He also trained on some experiments he will conduct during his mission on Mir.
Astronaut Mike Foale started the week off with another session in the Hydrolab, the Russian swimming pool that is used to simulate the weightless environment of space. He then spent the rest of the week training on the construction and components of Mir, its control panels and life support system.
Astronaut Jim Voss has returned from his vacation at home in Houston. He resumed full- time language classes and physical training.
Today marks Onufriyenko and Usachev’s 84th day aboard Mir since after being launched aboard a Soyuz rocket February 21. Lucid joined the crew during Atlantis’ STS-76 mission and has been a member of the Mir-21 crew for 55 days.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of May 24, 1996
Mir-21 Status Report #8
Mission Control Center - Kaliningrad
May 24, 1996Cosmonauts on the Mir Space Station prepared Friday to unfurl a solar array that uses both Russian and American technology during a five-hour spacewalk early Saturday morning Moscow time.
Mir-21 Commander Yuri Onufriyenko and Flight engineer Yury Usachev mounted the Mir Cooperative Solar Array on the station's Kvant-1 module during a six-hour spacewalk early Tuesday morning. The procedure required the two spacewalkers to remove the array from its storage location on the Docking Module and transport it along the Krystall module to the Kvant-1 module. Onufriyenko and Usachev also positioned the array's cables so that all would be ready for the deployment and final configuration of the array tonight.
During the extravehicular activity, Cosmonaut Researcher and NASA Astronaut Shannon Lucid is assisting from inside Mir as well as issuing command to the station.
This week's spacewalks will continue on May 30th to install some German scientific equipment on the outside of the station. More spacewalks are slated for June. All will be conducted by Onufriyenko and Usachev.
Over the last week, NASA science activities have been proceeding well even while the crew has prepared for and conducted the spacewalks.
Lucid has completed the verification of the Microgravity Isolation Monitoring facility and completed checkout of the Microgravity Glovebox facility, all of which are currently housed in the Priroda science module. MIM will be used to characterize the environment on Mir during the science operations, and the Glovebox will be used to conduct a variety of microgravity experiments. Lucid also performed several life sciences experiments including sessions for experiments studying the changes to the human immune system and neurovestibular system in space.
Next week, Lucid will continue materials science activities with the first liquid metal diffusion experiments.
At Star City, NASA Astronaut John Blaha spent much of the week conducting the final training sessions for the U.S. experiments he will conduct as part of the Mir-22 crew. He also participated in two sessions to allow scientists studying skeletal and muscle performance to acquire measurements that will be compared to measurements taken during and after Blaha's mission on Mir.
Astronaut Jerry Linenger's training focused on both Mir systems and U.S. science experiments, while Mike Foale spent the week doing water survial training in the Black Sea. Jim Voss began his first classes on the Soyuz transport module.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of May 31, 1996
Mir-21 Status Report #9
Mission Control Center - Kaliningrad
May 31, 1996Mir-21 Cosmonaut Researcher Shannon Lucid passed the halfway point in her mission aboard the Russian Space Station Mir this week as she and her crewmates continued their work with the U.S. science experiments and conducted their third spacewalk in two weeks.
"Thanks a lot," Lucid said upon receiving congratulations from the NASA support team in Russia for reaching the midpoint. "Being halfway is quite a milestone."
Late Thursday night in Russia, Mir-21 Commander Yuri Onufriyenko and Flight Engineer Yury Usachev ventured outside the space station for a five-hour spacewalk to mount a German remote sensing camera on the exterior of the Priroda module. The Modular Optoelectronic Multispectral Scanner, which flew on Shuttle missions STS-7 and STS- 41B, will be used to study the Earth's atmosphere and environment. Lucid, from inside Mir, sent the commands to power the system up once the spacewalkers finished installing the hardware. The two spacewalkers also installed a new handrail on the Kvant-2 module which will make moving around the station during future extravehicular activities easier.
Onufriyenko and Usachev are scheduled for two more spacewalks on June 6 and June 13.
Also this week, Lucid continued configuring and testing the US science equipment in both the Priroda and Spektr modules. She performed the first two runs with the Queen's University Experiment in Liquid Diffusion-II payload. The furnace is used to study the diffusion characteristics of molten metals. An earlier version of QUELD-II flew on STS- 52 in 1992. The Interface Configuration Experiment, which studies capillary action in space, also was performed for the first time.
During the science operations, a card failed within Mir Interface to Payload Systems computer. A new card will be delivered on a Progress vehicle in July, and until then Lucid will record all the data onboard for return to Earth at a later time.
Besides working on experiments and preparing for the spacewalk, the Mir-21 crew members took a moment to exchange greetings with the STS-77 astronauts onboard Endeavour, and conducted a news conference with media representatives in both the United States and Russia.
At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, the NASA astronauts preparing for upcoming missions on Mir took a break from their training schedule to celebrate Memorial Day with a special dinner on Thursday.
John Blaha, who will be replacing Lucid on Mir in August, had a chance to talk to her about lessons she's learned so far in her mission. Lucid said she was pleased with the progress of her flight so far and suggested only that he include learning more the workings of the Russian Mission Control Center in his training. Blaha spent most of his time this week training with the U.S. science experiments.
Astronaut Jerry Linenger spent his week doing water survival training in the Black Sea, while Mike Foale focused on the control panels and life support system of the Mir orbital complex. Jim Voss concentrated on his Russian language training and also began classes on the Soyuz television and camera systems.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of June 7, 1996
Mir-21
Mission Control Center
Status Report #10June 7, 1996
Shannon Lucid headed into the second half of her mission aboard the Mir Space Station this week, conducting more experiments involving life sciences and materials sciences while assisting her crewmates during their fifth Spacewalk.
On Thursday, two small U.S. experiments designed to study the space environment outside the Mir Space Station were installed during three-hour spacewalk by Mir-21 Commander Yuri Onufriyenko and Flight Engineer Yury Usachev.
The Particle Impact Experiment and the Mir Sample Return Experiment were sent to Mir onboard the Priroda science module in April. For the next six months, they will remain outside the station with PIE collecting particles from the exterior of Mir and MSRE collecting samples of cosmic dust. Both are passive experiments.
Onufriyenko and Usachev will take one more excursion outside of the Mir Space Station on June 13 to install a new boom truss. They have been in space for 107 days. Lucid has been in orbit for 77 days.
Other science activities this week included verification tests of the Microgravity Isolation Mount, Earth observations and experiments to characterize the long-term adaptation of the human body to space.
In Star City, John Blaha spent a busy week preparing for his upcoming mission on Mir. Blaha’s training activities focused on the scientific experiments he will be performing including the Greenhouse experiment, the Technical Evaluation of MIM experiment, the Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter experiment, Microbiological Investigations and the Protein Metabolic Investigation. He also participated in a four-hour Soyuz simulation. Other U. S. astronauts earmarked for future flights on the Mir continued their training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Trining Center in Star City, Russia.
As Blaha’s backup, Jerry Linenger also participated in the science training sessions and Soyuz simulation. Training activities for Mike Foale focused on Mir systems while Jim Voss concentrated primarily on his Russian language training.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of June 14, 1996
Mir-21 Status Report
Mission Control Center -- KaliningradJune 14, 1996
Scientific investigations are progressing onboard the Russian Space Station Mir as Commander Yuri Onufriyenko, Flight Engineer Yury Usachev and NASA Astronaut Shannon Lucid continue their mission.
This week, Lucid completed the Humoral Immunity experiment which studies the effects of spaceflight on the human immune system. Previous investigations have shown that the human immune system appears to be suppressed during long duration space missions. For the Humoral Immunity experiment, Lucid injected herself with an immune system stimulant. She then collected blood and saliva samples that will be compared to samples taken before and after her stay on Mir to measure changes in her body’s response to the stimulant.
Lucid also performed the checkout of the Biotechnology System Facility. On future Mir missions, the BTS will be used to conduct research involving tissue culture, protein crystal growth and fundamental biotechnology experiments. This will prove that risk-free biotechnology experiments can be conducted for long periods of time on Mir and the International Space Station.
Today, Lucid performed an experiment designed to measure the forces generated as a crewmember pushes off the surfaces of the spacecraft to move about. This information is important to scientists conducting sensitive microgravity experiments since even small amounts of acceleration, g-forces and vibrations could affect their data.
Thursday night, Onufriyenko and Usachev performed the sixth in a series of spacewalks to install a variety of experiments and experiment platforms on the exterior of the station. In the five-hour extravehicular activity Thursday, the cosmonauts installed a truss structure called Rapana to the Kvant-1 module. Rapana takes the place of a similar structure named Strela as a mounting point for future experiments.
At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia this week, astronaut John Blaha, Lucid’s replacement on Mir, entered the final phase of his training. This week, Blaha focused on a review of Mir and Soyuz systems. Blaha will be taken to Mir aboard Atlantis during Shuttle mission STS-79 which is currently scheduled to be launched on July 31.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of June 21, 1996
Mir-21 Status Report
Mission Control Center -- KaliningradJune 21, 1996
Ninety days into her stay aboard the Mir Space Station, Mir-21 Cosmonaut Researcher Shannon Lucid, along with her two crewmates, Commander Yuri Onufriyenko and Flight Engineer Yury Usachev, continue their research efforts aboard the orbiting facility.
The crew’s work this week involved functional checks and becoming familiar with the operation of the Queen’s University Experiment in Liquid Diffusion (QUELD) payload. QUELD is a fixed furnace facility which provides scientists with a way of measuring the diffusion coefficients in some metallic binary systems as well as glasses and semiconductor materials.
Air sampling activities were done in the Specter and Core modules of the station with the Solid Sorbent Air Sampler (SSAS) and the Grab Sample Container (GSC) devices. SSAS is designed to sample air quality over a long period (24 hours) as it looks for particular components in the air. The GSC is used to get a quick "snap shot" type reading of air quality at a specific time and place.
The crew also successfully transferred data from the Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC), a radiation monitoring experiment. Periodically, data from TEPC has to be transferred to an archival system. In this case the archival system is a laptop computer. TEPC data will be returned to Earth later this year.
Next week the Mir-21 crew will continue its efforts with the QUELD experiment and will perform Earth Observation activities.
Meanwhile, at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, NASA Astronauts preparing for upcoming missions on Mir continued their training activities.
John Blaha, who will be replacing Lucid on Mir in August, was involved in medical examinations in preparation for next week’s chief medical commission and certification for space flight. He also was involved in several baseline data collection (BDC) sessions for the Skeletal Muscle Performance and Characteristics Experiment. Blaha finished the week with a four hour simulation in the Mir module. Blaha will join Mir-22 Commander Gennadi Manakov and Flight Engineer Pavel Vinogradov for a prelaunch news conference from Star City, which will be seen Wednesday on NASA TV at 9 a.m. EDT.
Astronaut Jerry Linenger participated in the same medical exams and BDC sessions as Blaha. He also completed a four hour simulation in the Mir module. Linenger and fellow astronaut Mike Foale completed a four hour EVA training session in the hydrolab. Some of Foale’s other activities this week included lectures on the construction and components of the Kristall module, the control panels of the Kvant-2 module and the Kvant-s life support system. Astronaut Jim Voss continued his study of the Russian language and received lectures on the emergency provisions onboard the Soyuz transport vehicle.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of June 28, 1996
Mir-21 Status Report -#13
Mission Control Center--KaliningradJune 28, 1996
As she nears her 100th day in space, Cosmonaut Researcher Shannon Lucid, along with her two crew mates, Commander Yuri Onufriyenko and Flight Engineer Yury Usachev, continue their work aboard the Russian Space Station Mir.
This week, a functional test was performed of Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) cards for the Biotechnology System (BTS) facility. The SRAM cards contain software for the experiment computers and several different types of cards are being tested to see which are best suited for long duration missions.
A third verification test of the transfer of data from the Microgravity Isolation Mount (MIM) facility to another computer could not be completed due to a lack of storage space on the MIM hard drive to generate the folders needed to complete the data acquisition. MIM project managers have recommended that the hard drive be cleaned and plan to reschedule the verification test for a later date.
This week, Lucid continued her work with the Queen's University Experiment in Liquid Diffusion (QUELD) payload with the start of sample processing. The Enhanced Dynamic Load Sensors (EDLS) were relocated from the Microgravity Glovebox to the MIM facility. Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) and EDLS data are being collected concurrently with the performance of QUELD sessions.
Next week the Mir-21 crew is scheduled to work with the Candle Flame in Microgravity (CFM) experiment. CFM work is performed in the Microgravity Glovebox in the Priroda module and is similar to the work done on the Space Shuttle during the United States Microgravity Laboratory flights. By studying a candle flame in a weightless environment, investigators hope to gain additional insight into the complicated physiochemical process of combustion. The Mir-21 crew also will continue Earth observation activities in the coming week.
Next Wednesday, July 3rd, Lucid and her crewmates are schedule to conduct a ship-to-ship conversation with Space Shuttle Commander Tom Henricks and the STS-78 crew aboard Columbia. The Shuttle and Mir crews will speak with officials from the Atlanta Olympic Organization Committee and will send greetings to the world's athletes who will meet in Atlanta to compete against each other beginning July 19.
At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, NASA Astronauts preparing for upcoming missions on Mir continued their training activities. John Blaha, who will be replacing Lucid on Mir in August, joined his Mir-22 crewmates, Commander Gennadi Manakov and Flight Engineer Pavel Vinogradov for a pre-flight press conference in Star City this past Wednesday. Blaha has completed his training at GCTC and will return to the U.S. to finish preparations for his launch with the STS-79 crew aboard Atlantis around July 31.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of July 8, 1996
Mir-21 Status Report #14
Mission Control Center--Kaliningrad
Monday, July 8, 1996While her fellow astronauts aboard Space Shuttle Columbia completed their 17 day mission yesterday, Space Station Mir-21 Cosmonaut Researcher Shannon Lucid, now in her 108th day in space, with her two crew mates, Commander Yuri Onufriyenko and Flight Engineer Yury Usachev, are continuing their work with the various experiments and payloads aboard the orbiting station.
Activities last week included processing and completion of the first Candle Flame in Microgravity (CFM) sample set. The CFM work being done on Mir is similar to the work done on the Space Shuttle and involves studying a flame in a weightless environment. Investigators hope to gain additional insight into the complicated physiochemical process of combustion using the various CFM sample sets being carried aboard Mir.
Processing of various samples associated with Queen's University Experiment in Liquid Diffusion (QUELD) payload also continued last week. Four of the samples, which require a very high temperature, did not process properly on the first attempt. Science managers believe the problem either stemmed from not allowing enough time in the furnace or the furnace not reaching the required 800 degree centigrade temperature. The four samples were re-processed successfully in the QUELD unit over the weekend and all of the planned QUELD unit over the weekend and all of the planned QUELD work for Mir-21 has now been completed.
This week will see more processing of CFM samples and another session with the Anticipatory Postural (POSA) experiment. POSA is neurological evaluation done periodically during the Mir-21 flight to note alterations in a person's motor function caused by long duration space flight.
Part of the crew's efforts will focus on the effects of the Mir station environment and how to avoid some of those influences. They will continue their use of the Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) unit. SAMS is used with various experiments on the station to record what effect station operations are having on the experiment. Also on this week's plan is a Technical Evaluation of MIM (TEM). The Microgravity Isolation Mount (MIM) unit is a facility designed to try and minimize the acceleration effects experienced on the station so delicate microgravity work can be performed.
Lucid also will perform a status check on the Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC) radiation monitoring experiment to see when another download of the data may be required and will continue with Earth observation work.
Lucid was informed last week by the NASA operational team in the Russian Mission Control Center conducted by the Shuttle program on gas paths seen in J-seals of the Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) from the STS-78 launch.
At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center is Star City, NASA Astronauts Jerry Linenger, Mike Foale and Jim Voss continued their training activities for upcoming missions on Mir. John Blaha, having completed his training, has returned to the United States for final preparations as a member of the STS-79 crew to succeed Lucid aboard the Mir.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of July 12, 1996
Mir-21 Status Report #15
Mission Control Center--Korolyov
Friday, July 12, 1996Mir-21 Cosmonaut-Researcher Shannon Lucid neared a U.S. endurance record for a single spaceflight as she and her crewmates, Commander Yuri Onufriyenko and Flight Engineer Yury Usachev continue their research flight.
Work continued this week with the Candle Flame in Microgravity (CFM) experiment as additional tests were conducted. Using different sample sets, investigators hope to gain additional insight into the complicated physiochemical process of combustion.
Another session with the Anticipatory Postural (POSA) experiment was performed this week. POSA is a neurological evaluation done periodically during the Mir-21 flight to note alterations in a person's motor function caused by long duration space flight.
Some of the crew's efforts this week again focused on the characteristics of the Mir station environment and how that environment can influence sensitive microgravity experiments. The Space Acceleration measurement System (SAMS) unit is used with various experiments on the station to record what effect station operations are having on the experiment. A possible solution to the station's acceleration influences was studied this week during a technical evaluation of the Microgravity Isolation Mount (MIM) facility. The MIM unit is designed to try and minimize the acceleration affects experienced on the station so delicate microgravity work can be performed.
Lucid will surpass the U.S. record of 115 days in space Monday, a record held last year by former astronaut Norm Thagard as part of the Mir-18 crew. Lucid and her crewmates will hold a news conference Monday at 8:30 a.m. Central time to discuss the progress of the mission.
Lucid also performed a status check on the Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC) radiation monitoring experiment to see when another download of the data may be required and will continue with Earth observation work.
Lucid continues to achieve regular updates from the NASA team here in Korolev about the analysis of gas paths seen in the J-Seals of the Solid Rocket Motors (SRM's) from the STS-78 launch. In a press conference earlier this week, Lucid said she was ready to support whatever decision was made in terms of the STS-79 mission launch date .
Should a decision be made to change out the SRM's for the STS-79 mission, the launch would be delayed until mid-September. Lucid would use the additional time on-orbit to run additional sessions with some of her science experiments and would assist with Claudie Andre-Deshays, the CNES cosmonaut researcher, who will arrive on the station with the Mir-22 crew in mid-August.
At the Gagarian Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, NASA Astronauts Jerry Linenger, Mike Foale and Jim Voss continued their training activities for upcoming missions on Mir and the International Space Station.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of July 19, 1996
Mir-21 Status Report #16
Mission Control Center--Korolyov
Friday, July 19, 1996On Monday, July 15, Shannon Lucid broke the U.S. record for the longest space flight ever -- 115 days on-orbit. Lucid also recorded an address which will be played as part of the opening ceremonies at the Olympic games this evening in Atlanta, spoke with NASA Administrator Dan Goldin and Yuri Koptev, head of the Russian Space Agency, and participated in press conference to discuss her record and her research.
For Lucid, the Candle Flame in Microgravity (CFM) experiment proceeded on schedule with more sample runs this week. As of July 17, Lucid had burned 51 candles in the glovebox facility. Using the different sample sets, investigators hope to gain additional insight into the complicated physiochemical process of combustion. Concurrently with the CFM sessions, the crew also collected Enhanced Dynamic Load Sensors (EDLS) and Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) data. These measurements are focused on characterizing the Mir environment and the effect it has on sensitive microgravity experiments.
Another experiment, the Microgravity Isolation Mount (MIM), is being tested as a possible solution to the impact of the station's acceleration and vibration on these delicate microgravity experiments. The crew processed the first and second test vessels of the Technical Evaluation of MIM-1 (TEM-1) this week. This completes the TEM evaluation of the MIM for NASA.
The crew began assembly of the Svet facility this week in preparation for the Fundamental Biology Greenhouse plant experiment. Wheat will be grown in the Russian/Slovakian Svet facility and monitored daily. The first planting will occur at the end of this week or the start of next week. By the chemical, biochemical, and structural changes in plant tissues, researchers hope to understand how processes such as photosynthesis, respiration, transpiration, stomatal conductance and water use are affected by mircogravity. Plants could eventually be a major contributor to life support systems for space flight because plants produce oxygen and food while eliminating carbon dioxide and excess humidity from the environment.
The crew is checking the BioTechnology System (BTS) to ensure that it will be operational for the next Mir mission. One of the computers does not appear to be working. However, the facility's second computer is operational so the facility will function. The crew attempted to reboot the computer without success and the BTS investigators have submitted a checklist in an attempt to isolate the failure.
Lucid was informed that NASA had postponed the STS-79 mission to replace the solid rocket boosters. Lucid will use the additional six weeks on-orbit to run additional sessions with some of her science experiments and will assist Claudie Andre-Deshays, the CNES-cosmonauts researcher, who will arrive on the station with the Mir-22 crew in August.
At the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, NASA Astronauts Jerry Linenger, Mike Foale, and Jim Voss continued their training activities for upcoming missions on Mir and the International Space Station.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of July 26, 1996
Mir-21 Status Report #17
Mission Control Center--Korolyov
Friday, July 26, 1996U.S. Astronaut Shannon Lucid completed her 18th week in space today on the Mir Space Station, performing scientific investigations for her mission and setting up equipment for the next tour of a U.S. astronaut on the Mir.
This week, Lucid conducted the Candle Flames in Microgravity (CFM) experiment runs. She continued the experiment with several spare sets of candles as part of the extension of her research. Investigators on Earth had suggested to Lucid ways to change the experiment to achieve the most beneficial data. These extra samples will give the investigators additional insight into the complicated physiochemical process of combustion. Lucid burned a total of 79 candles of varying size, wick diameter, and length. The original plan was based on a total of 60 candles.
Space Acceleration Measurement Systems (SAMS) data was collected in conjunction with the CFM experiment, continuing the study of the Mir environment and its effects on sensitive microgravity experiments. Similarly, the Enhanced Dynamic Load Sensors (EDLS) experiment continued acquiring acceleration measurements to evaluate the effect of crew activities on experiments.
Lucid performed more Earth observations this week, capturing several sites in the United States, Europe, and Asia. She completed monthly operations for the Ambient Diffusion- Controlled Protein Crystal Growth experiment (DCAM) by capturing photographs of the crystals.
Lucid also downloaded radiation data from the Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC). This experiment helps doctors monitor the crew's on-orbit exposure to radiation and may aid designers in crafting better shielding for the future crews on the International Space Station.
Lucid recharged the Anticipatory Postural Activity (POSA) battery and her Mir-21 crewmates conducted the seventh POSA session successfully. The POSA experiment provides fundamental research in how the muscles operate and respond to neurological commands in microgravity. The results of his research will help scientists understand how the human body adapts to space flight.
The crew finished fabricating the Greenhouse facility this week. The cosmonauts installed all of the sensors and probes, watered the root module, and tested the unit. However, science planners delayed the first wheat planting due to a limitation in overall energy distribution on Mir. Russian and U.S. engineers are studying the overall energy balance aboard Mir and expect a resolution next week. The crew will then begin the first planting.
The crew also continued its troubleshooting on the BioTechnology System (BTS) to ensure its readiness for the next Mir mission. One of the computers is performing well and the other is not. Mission managers are examining the possibility of manifesting a replacement on STS-79. The crew will perform other tests next week.
On Thursday, Lucid was interviewed by TV stations in Houston, TX and New Haven, CT. Earlier in the week, her crewmates, Yuri Onufriyenko and Yury Usachev, taped an address for the 300th anniversary for Russia's naval fleet. They also spoke with a Russian journalist about the upcoming Soyuz launch. Mir's international crew will get a special treat on Saturday when highlights of the Olympic games are uplinked to the Russian outpost courtesy of NBC.
The Progress launch-scheduled for July 25, was postponed due to a pressure, senior failure in one of it's propellent tanks. The progress, which will resupply the Mir Space Station, has been rescheduled for launch on August 1st.
NASA astronauts Jerry Linenger, Mike Foale, and Jim Voss, who have been training at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Facility in Star City, will spend the month of August in Houston at the Johnson Space Center for Space Shuttle and science training related to their upcoming missions.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of August 2, 1996
Mir-21 Status Report #18
Mission Control Center--Korolyov
Friday, August 2, 1996As Shannon Lucid completes her 19th week in space, another busy period aboard the Russian Space Station Mir comes to a conclusion. Lucid continued research this week, performing scientific investigations for her mission and setting up equipment for the next U.S. astronaut who will occupy the Mir.
This week, Lucid completed the Candle Flames in Microgravity (CFM) experiment. This week she stowed the experiment for its return to Earth. Lucid also answered questions from scientists about the experiment, adding to their knowledge of combustion in zero gravity. Her detailed notes were passed to the CFM investigators for use on future experiments.
After changing the filters in the microgravity glovebox, Lucid set up the Forced Flow Flamespread Test (FFFT). She took the first measurements on Tuesday and finished collecting all of the data on Thursday. This fundamental research examines how different sets of conditions, burn in space. Scientists hope to identify the effect of slowly passing air over the samples and heating some samples on the flammability, ignition, flame growth, and flame spreading behavior of solid fuels in microgravity. There were four cellulose samples and four polyethylene samples.
Lucid also collected Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS) data in conjunction with the FFFT experiment, continuing the study of the Mir environment and its effects on sensitive microgravity experiments. Similarly, Lucid ran the Enhanced Dynamic Load Sensors (EDLS) experiment with FFFT, taking acceleration measurements to evaluate the effect of crew activities on experiments.
Lucid conducted more Earth observations this week, capturing images of several sites in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
A Solid Sorbent Air Sampler (SSAS) for the Volatile Organic Compounds on Mir Station experiment was activated on July 29. The SSAS was retrieved the following day. The SSAS measures organic compounds in the Station’s air. The data will be used to correlate the presence of organics to the various experiments being conducted. Also, engineers will use the data to develop advanced life support systems, air quality monitors, and to facilitate toxicological evaluations of the Mir environment during long duration missions .
Lucid also sent radiation data from the Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC) to researchers at the Russian Mission Control Center. This experiment helps monitor the on- orbit exposure to radiation and may aid designers in crafting better shielding for future crews on the International Space Station.
Lucid and her Mir-21 crewmates, Commander Yuri Onufriyenko and Flight Engineer Yuri Urachev, continued Greenhouse operations this week. Planners on the ground solved a power distribution issue by using an extension cord to plug the Greenhouse into the Spektr module’s power supply. Because of the delay, the crew dried out the root module to make sure that there would no fungal or microbial growth. The crew is now watering the root module in preparation for planting as early as next week.
The crew conducted some maintenance work on the Mir systems this week. The cosmonauts replaced the vacuum valve assembly on the carbon dioxide removal system and now it is working properly. The oxygen generation system has been operating sporadically since July 26 and needs repair. On August 1, the crew activated the backup oxygen system. Further oxygen is available from Progress 232 and, as a last resort, oxygen generation candles are available on Mir. The problem poses no threat to the crew or mission operations.
A Progress 232 resupply capsule was launched on July 31 at 3 p.m. CDT. The Progress is scheduled to dock later today approximately 5 p.m. CDT. The vehicle will resupply Mir with more than 2 ton of items including fresh food, experiment hardware for the upcoming CNES/Mir mission involving a French researcher and oxygen.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of August 9, 1996
Mir-21 Status Report #19
Mission Control Center--Korolyov
Friday, August 9, 1996Shannon Lucid completed her 140th day in space today, continuing research on scientific investigations for her mission and setting up equipment for the next. The Mir cosmonauts were also involved in unloading the Progress 232 resupply vehicle which recently docked with Mir.
Progress 232 was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome on July 31 and docked to the Mir on August 2. The resupply vehicle brought more than 2 tons of supplies for the crew, including fresh food, experiment hardware for the CNES-Mir mission and oxygen. The crew has been busy unloading and stowing the food and equipment.
Operations on the Mir's Greenhouse are proceeding well. For the past week, the cosmonauts watered the substrate that holds the seeds in the experiment designed to see how plants grow in microgravity. The investigators on Earth decided that the Greenhouse was ready and the crew commenced planting seeds on Monday. The crew has taken daily moisture probe measurements of the substrate to make sure that everything is ready for plant growth. The crew also sent the first electronic transfer of Greenhouse data to Earth on Tuesday. That data was transferred to the investigators. The cosmonauts will send data electronically on a daily basis to Earth so scientists can monitor the experiment.
On August, Lucid began another run of the Queen's University Experiment in Liquid Diffusion (QUELD) as part of her extended research. There is one planned QUELD session for each regular research through August 16. The QUELD is a fixed furnace facility which provides scientists with a way of measuring the reformation of an alloy into two separate materials, such as metals, glasses, and semi-conductor materials. The research is expected to provide insight into alloy formation in space.
Lucid also collected Space Acceleration Measurements System (SAMS) data in conjunction with the QUELD experiment, continuing the study of the Mir environment and its effects on sensitive microgravity experiments. She also moved the Enhanced Dynamic Load Sensors (EDLS) experiment to the Microgravity Isolation Mount so that it might be used in conjunction with the QUELD. Lucid conducted unique EDLS measurements on Monday. She will continue EDLS measurements once a week until the end of her mission.
Lucid also downloaded radiation data from the Tissue Equivalent Proportional Counter (TEPC). This experiment helps monitor the cosmonauts' exposure to radiation and may aid designers in crafting better shielding for crews on the International Space Station.
The crew conducted some maintenance on Mir systems this week. The gyrodyne system, which provides control of the Mir, was turned off from Monday through Wednesday, to allow the cosmonauts time to refurbish the system. The Mir maintained its attitude using thruster firings.
Lucid and her Mir-21 crewmates, Commander Yuri Onufriyenko and Flight Engineer Yury Usachev are awaiting the launch of the Mir-22 cosmonauts, Commander Gennadi Manakov, Flight Engineer Pavel Vinogradov and CNES researcher Claudie Andre- Deschays of France. Their launch is scheduled for August 17 with a docking of their Soyuz capsule to the Mir August 19. Onufriyenko and Usachev plan to end their long mission with a return to Earth with Deschays on September 2. Lucid is expected to return to Earth the third week of September with the STS-79 crew after being replaced on the Mir by U.S. Astronaut John Blaha.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of August 16, 1996
Mir-21 Status Report #20
Mission Control Center--Korolyov
Friday, August 16, 1996Astronaut Shannon Lucid completed her 21st week in space today, her 147th day in orbit, as she prepared to welcome a new crew of Russian cosmonauts and a French researcher aboard the Mir Space Station.
Lucid's Mir-21 crewmates, Commander Yuri Onufriyenko and Flight Engineer Yury Usachev, will be relieved by Mir-22 Commander Valeri Korzun and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri. Korzun and Kaleri, along with French Cosmonaut-Researcher Claudie Andre-Deshays, are on schedule to be launched aboard a Soyuz TM-24 capsule from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 8:18 a.m. CDT Saturday. The Progress cargo module currently docked with Mir will then undock on Sunday and be moved to a parking orbit, where it will remain until it is redocked with Mir on Sept. 3.
Korzun, Kaleri and Andre-Deschays are planned to dock with Mir at 9:49 a.m. CDT Monday. All six crewmembers will remain aboard Mir for two weeks. At about 11:20 p.m. CDT on Sept. 1, Onufriyenko, Usachev and Andre-Deshays will undock from Mir in the Soyuz TM-23 spacecraft, the capsule that has been docked with Mir for more than six months, to begin their return to Earth. Onufriyenko, Usachev and Andre-Deshays will land in Central Asia about 3 ® hours later. Lucid will remain aboard Mir with the new cosmonaut crew until she is relieved by Astronaut John Blaha, who is scheduled to be launched with the STS-79 crew aboard Atlantis around Sept. 12 on the fourth Shuttle-Mir docking mission. The Progress cargo module will be redocked with Mir on Sept. 3.
NASA Television plans to broadcast about 17 minutes of black-and-white television of Monday's Soyuz TM-24 docking and about 12 minutes of color television of the new crew's arrival and welcome. A videotape of Saturday's launch of the Mir-22 crew will be replayed on NASA TV on Monday as well. The docking television is expected to begin from Mir at about 9:43 a.m. CDT Monday while television of the new crew's entry to Mir will follow starting at about 11:19 a.m. CDT. The launch video will be replayed immediately following live television of the crew's arrival.
Science operations have been proceeding well aboard Mir, as Lucid prepares to wrap up several experiments in advance of the arrival of the new Mir cosmonauts. Lucid's long- term science operations will take second priority to the CNES science investigations of Andre-Deshays during the French researcher's brief stay on Mir. Lucid remains in excellent condition as she heads for the completion of her six-month stay on orbit.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
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| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of August 23, 1996
Mir-21 Status Report #21
Mission Control Center--Korolyov
Friday, August 23, 1996The Mir Space Station is now home to six cosmonauts and researchers from three different countries -- Russia, France and the United States -- following the successful docking of the Soyuz TM-24 spacecraft on Monday, Aug. 19.
The Mir-21 crew - U.S. astronaut Shannon Lucid, Commander Yuri Onufriyenko and Flight Engineer Yury Usachev -- were joined by Mir-22 crew members Commander Valeri Korzun, Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri and French space agency researcher Claudie Andre-Deshays. All six cosmonauts will be aboard Mir until Onufriyenko, Usachev and Andre-Deshays undock the Soyuz TM-23 spacecraft Sept. 2 and return to Earth. Lucid will remain aboard Mir until Atlantis docks with the station on shuttle mission STS-79 in mid-September to be relieved by veteran astronaut John Blaha, who will remain aboard Mir until January. All six crew members will discuss their mission with reporters at participating NASA centers on Monday, Aug. 26, from 2:20 p.m. to 2:50 p.m. CDT during a joint news conference.
This week, Lucid prepared for the end of her stay and the arrival of Atlantis, conducting a thorough inventory of experiment supplies and equipment in the Spektr and Priroda modules of Mir for her handover to Blaha. Lucid has so far packed seven bags of completed experiment samples, data and equipment from her five months in space to be transported aboard Atlantis back to scientists on Earth.
Lucid also continued her scientific investigations, among them monitoring the growth of dwarf wheat plants aboard Mir in a Russian and Slovokian developed growth chamber as part of the Greenhouse experiment. The experiment studies how plants, which one day could play an important role in advanced life support systems on future spacecraft, grow in weightlessness. The dwarf wheat crop was planted in early August and was recently reported by Lucid to be about two inches tall. Periodically, Lucid has preserved sample plants for later study on Earth, although some plants may continue to grow for as long as three months. Operations in the Queens University Experiment in Liquid Diffusion (QUELD) furnace, an experiment that studies the processing of semiconductor materials in space, resumed late this week after two troubleshooting runs. The two test runs were successful in analyzing a software problem with the furnace, and four experiment samples are to be processed today. Once the samples are completed, only two more test samples remain to be processed before QUELD operations are completed. In all, more than 40 experiment runs will have been conducted in the furnace during Lucid's stay.
To prepare for experiments to be performed by Blaha, Lucid is conducting tests of the Biotechnology System (BTS) facility in the Priroda module. The facility is reported to be in good condition and will be used for a variety of long-term experiments beginning with tissue culture growth in a Bioreactor during Blaha's Mir mission.
Other Mir systems remains in good condition. The Mir's "Elektron" system, which produces oxygen through the catalytic conversion of on-board water, is awaiting a recharge of nitrogen, which is used to purge and pressurize the system periodically. A supply of nitrogen will be brought to the Mir aboard Atlantis next month and additional nitrogen will be carried to the station on an unmanned Progress resupply vehicle in October. The low supply of nitrogen in the "Elektron" system has had no adverse effect on operations aboard the Russian outpost.
Other Russian cosmonauts and U.S. astronauts in line for future flights on the Mir continue a month's worth of training at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. They will return to the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City in early September to resume Mir systems training.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |
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Mir-21 - Week of August 30, 1996
Mir-21/Mir-22 Status Report #22
Mission Control Center--Korolyov
Friday, August 30, 1996As astronaut Shannon Lucid's two Mir-21 crew mates -- Commander Yuri Onufriyenko and Flight Engineer Yury Usachev, near the end of more than a half-year stay on Mir, Lucid is nearing an all-time record for the length of time a female has spent in space on a single flight.
After 194 days in space, Onufriyenko and Usachev are shceduled to undock their Soyuz capsule early Monday and will return to Earth along with French Researcher Claudie Andre-Deshays, who has spent two weeks in orbit, Lucid will remain on Mir, awaiting the arrival of Atlantis, which is now scheduled to launch on Sept. 14. Today is Lucid's 161st day in orbit, and she will set a new record for the length of time spent in space by a female -- previously 169 days spent aboard Mir by Cosmonaut Elena Kondakova -- on Sept. 7.
With Monday's departure of Onufriyenko and Usachev, the Mir-22 cosmonaut crew --Commander Valeri Korzun and Flight Engineer Alexander Kaleri -- will be in charge of Mir. Korzun and Kaleri were launched with Deshays on Aug. 17.
Atlantis will carry Astronaut John Blaha to Mir to relieve Lucid. This week, Lucid wrapped up some of her experiment work aboard Mir, packed bags for her upcoming departure and continued an inventory of the station's research supplies in preparation for Blaha's arrival.
Lucid completed work with the Queens University Experiment in Liquid Diffusion (QUELD), a furnace that studies processing samples of semi-conductor materials in weightlessness. During her mission, more than 40 QUELD experiment runs were completed. The QUELD equipment is now stowed. Also this week, Lucid preserved the first samples of dwarf wheat plants from the Greenhouse experiment for study by scientists after the mission. The dwarf wheat crop, planted early August in a Russian-designed growth chamber, may continue to grow for as long as three months on the station, with samples of plants periodically preserved for study. The experiment studies how plants grow in weightlessness, information that one day may be used on future spacecraft.
Lucid is packing a total of 16 bags of gear, experiment samples and stored data to be transferred to Atlantis with her during her return to Earth. In addition, she is performing a detailed inventory of U.S. scientific equipment and supplies on Mir in preparation for her handover of experiment duties to Blaha.
Major activities planned for next week aboard Mir include the undocking of Soyuz TM-23 and the Mir-21 crew from Mir at about 11:20 p.m. CDT on Sunday, Sept 1, the landing of Soyuz TM-23 at about 2:45 a.m. CDT on Monday, Sept 2, the redocking of the Progress 232 cargo spacecraft with Mir at about 4:30 a.m. CDT on Tuesday, Sept 3, and an interview of Lucid by WISH-TV, Indianapolis, at approximately 9 a.m. CDT on Thursday, Sept 5.
| 4/5/96 | 4/12/96 | 4/19/96 | 4/26/96 | 5/3/96 | 5/10/96 | 5/17/96 | 5/24/96 | 5/31/96 |
| 6/7/96 | 6/14/96 | 6/21/96 | 6/28/96 | 7/8/96 | 7/12/96 | 7/19/96 | 7/26/96 | 8/2/96 | 8/9/96 |
| 8/16/96 | 8/23/96 | 8/30/96 |