Mir EO-23

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Mir EO-23
Mission typeMir expedition
COSPAR ID OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Expedition
Space Station Mir
Began10 February 1997 (1997-02-10)
Ended5 August 1997 (1997-08-06)
Arrived aboard Soyuz TM-25
Linenger: STS-81
Space Shuttle Atlantis
Foale: STS-84
Space Shuttle Atlantis
Departed aboard Soyuz TM-25
Linenger: STS-84
Space Shuttle Atlantis
Foale: STS-86
Space Shuttle Atlantis
Crew
Crew size3
Members Vasily Tsibliyev
Aleksandr Lazutkin
Jerry Linenger* (February–May)
Colin Michael Foale†
* - transferred from EO-22
† - transferred to EO-24
Soyuz TM-25 patch.png
Long-term Mir expeditions
←  EO-22
EO-24  →
 

Mir EO-23 was the 23rd long-duration mission to Russia's Mir space station. It is notable for both the fire that occurred during the mission, and the crash that caused one of the station's modules to be permanently sealed off.

Contents

Crew

This mission was part of the Shuttle-Mir Program, in which three American astronauts flew aboard the station during Mir EO-23.

PositionFirst Part
(February 1997 to May 1997)		Second Part
(May 1997 to August 1997)
Commander Flag of Russia.svg Vasily Tsibliyev
Second and last spaceflight
Flight Engineer 1 Flag of Russia.svg Aleksandr Lazutkin
Only spaceflight
Flight Engineer 2 Flag of the United States.svg Jerry Linenger
Second spaceflight		 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Flag of the United States.svg Michael Foale
Fourth spaceflight

Note: Flag of Germany.svg Reinhold Ewald Joined the Soyuz TM-24 crew on the way home from Mir, after launching with Soyuz TM-25 crewmembers Vasily Tsibliyev and Aleksandr Lazutkin at the start of Mir EO-23, Foale remained aboard Mir as part of EO-24 crew after the end of EO-23.

Fire

Astronaut Jerry Linenger wearing a respirator mask during repairs to the leaky coolant system. Mir Linenger in Respirator.jpg
Astronaut Jerry Linenger wearing a respirator mask during repairs to the leaky coolant system. Mir

On February 23, 1997 a backup solid-fuel oxygen canister caught fire in the Kvant-1 module. [1] The fire spewed molten metal, and the crew was concerned that it could melt through the hull of the space station. [2] Smoke filled the station, and the crew donned respirators to continue breathing, although some respirators were faulty and did not supply oxygen. After burning for fourteen minutes and using up three fire extinguishers, the fire died out. [2] [3] The smoke remained thick for forty-five minutes after the fire was extinguished. After the respirators ran out of oxygen and the smoke began to clear the crew switched to using filter masks. [2] [4]

Collision

On June 24, 1997 a manual docking test using the uncrewed Progress M-34 cargo vessel was attempted. [4] The vessel, loaded with waste detached from the space station and Cosmonaut Vasily Tsibliyev took manual control. As he steered the craft back to the station he lost control due to a miscalculation in the mass of waste loaded onto the cargo vessel, and it crashed into the Spektr module, damaging a solar panel and puncturing Mir's hull. [4] The puncture created a leak, and the crew was able to seal off the Spektr module from the rest of the station by cutting the air and power cables between the sections and fitting a hatch cover over the entrance. [4]

Damaged solar arrays on Spektr module following a collision with an unmanned Progress spacecraft. Mir collision damage STS086-720-091.JPG
Damaged solar arrays on Spektr module following a collision with an unmanned Progress spacecraft.

The station was tumbling, and power went out onboard. Communications with Moscow were also down. [5] The docked Soyuz TM-25 craft was used to stabilize the station. [2] For the next few days the crew worked by torchlight to restore functionality. The cooling system was ineffective with such low power, and temperature in the station soared. [4]

Supplies on Progress M-35, launched on July 5, contained an apparatus that could be used to restore power from the remaining functional solar panels on Spektr. [4] A spacewalk was planned to carry out this repair, but on July 12 Commander Tsibliyev developed a heart arrhythmia and was ordered to take a combination of heart medication and tranquilizers. [4] The repair was postponed until Mir EO-24. [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Mir</i> Soviet/Russian space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001

Mir was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. Mir was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996. It had a greater mass than any previous spacecraft. At the time it was the largest artificial satellite in orbit, succeeded by the International Space Station (ISS) after Mir's orbit decayed. The station served as a microgravity research laboratory in which crews conducted experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, meteorology, and spacecraft systems with a goal of developing technologies required for permanent occupation of space.

Michael Foale British-American astrophysicist and former NASA astronaut

Colin Michael Foale is a British-American astrophysicist and former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of six space missions, and is the only NASA astronaut to have flown extended missions aboard both Mir and the International Space Station. He was the second Briton in space and the first to perform a space walk. Until 17 April 2008 he held the record for most time spent in space by a US citizen: 374 days, 11 hours, 19 minutes, and he still holds the cumulative-time-in-space record for a UK citizen.

STS-84 1997 American crewed spaceflight to Mir

STS-84 was a crewed spaceflight mission by Space Shuttle Atlantis to the Mir space station.

STS-86 1997 American crewed spaceflight to Mir

STS-86 was a Space Shuttle Atlantis mission to the Mir space station. This was the last Atlantis mission before it was taken out of service temporarily for maintenance and upgrades, including the glass cockpit.

Anatoly Solovyev Soviet-Russian cosmonaut and test pilot

Anatoly Yakovlevich Solovyev is a retired Russian and Soviet cosmonaut and pilot. Solovyev was born on January 16, 1948, in Riga, Latvia. Solovyev holds the world record on the number of spacewalks performed (16), and accumulated time spent spacewalking.

Soyuz TM-11 1990 Soviet crewed spaceflight to Mir

Soyuz TM-11 was the eleventh expedition to the Russian Space Station Mir, using a Soyuz-TM crew transport vessel. The mission notably carried a Japanese television reporter from Tokyo Broadcasting System.

Soyuz TM-21 1995 Russian crewed spaceflight to Mir

Soyuz TM-21 was a crewed Soyuz spaceflight to Mir. The mission launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, atop a Soyuz-U2 carrier rocket, at 06:11:34 UTC on March 14, 1995. The flight marked the first time thirteen humans were flying in space simultaneously, with three aboard the Soyuz, three aboard Mir and seven aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour, flying STS-67.

Soyuz TM-26 1997 Russian crewed spaceflight to Mir

Soyuz TM-26 was a Russian spaceflight that ferried cosmonauts and supplies to Mir. It was the 32nd expedition to Mir. It was launched by a Soyuz-U rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome on August 5, 1997. The main mission was to transport two specially-trained cosmonauts to repair or salvage the troubled space station.

Pavel Vinogradov Russian cosmonaut

Pavel Vladimirovich Vinogradov is a cosmonaut and former commander of the International Space Station. As of May 2013, he has flown into space three times, aboard Mir and the International Space Station, and is one of the top 10 astronauts in terms of total time in space. Vinogradov has also conducted seven spacewalks in his cosmonaut career, and holds the record for the oldest person to perform a spacewalk.

Aleksandr Lazutkin Russian cosmonaut

Aleksandr Ivanovich Lazutkin is a Russian cosmonaut.

Expedition 2 2nd expedition to the International Space Station

Expedition 2 was the second long-duration spaceflight aboard the International Space Station, immediately following Expedition 1. Its three-person crew stayed aboard the station from March to August 2001. In addition to station maintenance, the crew assisted in several station assembly missions, welcomed the first space tourist Dennis Tito, and conducted some scientific experiments.

Shuttle–<i>Mir</i> program 1993–1998 collaborative Russia–US space program

The Shuttle–Mir program was a collaborative 11-mission space program between Russia and the United States that involved American Space Shuttles visiting the Russian space station Mir, Russian cosmonauts flying on the Shuttle, and an American astronaut flying aboard a Soyuz spacecraft to engage in long-duration expeditions aboard Mir.

Spektr

Spektr was the fifth module of the Mir Space Station. The module was designed for remote observation of Earth's environment containing atmospheric and surface research equipment. Spektr also had four solar arrays which generated about half of the station's electrical power.

Mir EO-24 Twenty-fourth expedition to Mir space station

Mir EO-24 was the 24th long-duration mission to Russia's Mir space station.

Progress M-17 was a Russian uncrewed cargo spacecraft which was launched in 1993 to resupply the Mir space station. The thirty-fifth of sixty-four Progress spacecraft to visit Mir, it used the Progress-M 11F615A55 configuration, and had the serial number 217. In addition to delivering cargo, Progress M-17 was also used to demonstrate extended duration Progress missions; remaining in orbit for almost a year with a docked phase lasting 132 days.

Mir EO-4 Fourth expedition to Mir space station

Mir EO-4 was the fourth long-duration expedition to the Soviet space station Mir. The expedition began in November 1988, when crew members Commander Aleksandr Volkov and Flight Engineer Sergei Krikalev arrived at the station via the spacecraft Soyuz TM-7. The third crew member of EO-4, Valeri Polyakov, was already aboard Mir, having arrived in August 1988 part way through the previous expedition, Mir EO-3.

Mir EO-2 Second expedition to Mir space station

Mir EO-2 was the second long duration expedition to the Soviet space station Mir, and it lasted from February to December 1987. The mission was divided into two parts, the division occurring when one of the two crew members, Aleksandr Laveykin, was replaced part way through the mission by Aleksandr Aleksandrov. Laveykin was replaced because ground-based doctors had diagnosed him with minor heart problems.

Mir EO-19 Nineteenth expedition to Mir space station

Mir EO-19 was the nineteenth crewed expedition to the space station Mir, lasting from June to September 1995. The crew, consisting of Russian cosmonauts Anatoly Solovyev and Nikolai Budarin, launched on June 27, 1995 aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis on the STS-71 mission. After remaining aboard Mir for approximately 75 days, Solovyev and Budarin returned aboard the Soyuz TM-21 spacecraft on September 11, 1995.

Progress M-34

Progress M-34 was a Russian uncrewed cargo spacecraft which was launched in 1997 to resupply the Mir space station, and which subsequently collided with Mir during a docking attempt, resulting in significant damage to the space station.

Mir EO-8 Eighth expedition to Mir space station

Mir EO-8 was the eighth crewed expedition to the space station Mir, lasting from December 1990 to May 1991. The crew, consisting of Russian cosmonauts Viktor Afanasyev and Musa Manarov, launched along with space journalist Toyohiro Akiyama on December 2, 1990 aboard Soyuz TM-11. Akiyama returned aboard Soyuz TM-10 with the outgoing Mir EO-7 crew on December 10. Afanasyev and Manarov returned aboard Soyuz TM-11 on May 26, 1991.

References

  1. ↑ Wilcutt, Terry; Harkins, Wilson B. (November 2011). "Trial by Fire: Space Station Mir: On-Board Fire" (PDF). sma.nasa.gov. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 August 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Jerry Linenger (1 January 2001). Off the Planet: Surviving Five Perilous Months Aboard the Space Station Mir . New York, US: McGraw-Hill. ISBN   978-0-07-137230-5.
  3. ↑ Kerry Ellis - International Life Support - Ask Magazine
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 David Harland (30 November 2004). The Story of Space Station Mir . New York: Springer-Verlag New York Inc. ISBN   978-0-387-23011-5.
  5. ↑ Michael Foale (2016-06-22). "Mir Spacecraft: Worst collision in the history of space flight". Witness. BBC News.
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