MIRNEWS.106    5 SEPTEMPBER 1991

PASSES:

The still manned space station MIR passes during the nighthours, but gradually
the passes shift to the eveninghours thus enabling us to pick up some
radiotraffic.
On 28 or 29 August 1991 with the engines of Progress-M9 the orbit of MIR has
been corrected and so the Keplers older than 29 Aug. cannot be used any more.
On 4 September 1991 a Moscow TV programm relayed an interview with the crew by
Pyotr Orlov.

SOME CERTAIN FACTS:

(From a reliable source in Moscow)

Until the establishment of a new government for the renewed Union (so after the
Session of the People's Deputies and the new Supreme Soviet) all new budgetting
decisions are forbidden.
The organs thusfar heading Soviet spaceflight will continue their work. The
State Commission for Manned spaceflight did not undergo any changes and so the
Chairman Col.Gen. Ivanov, V.L., Chief Spaceflight Units, and the members General
Kryzhko, Gen. Shatalov, Gen. Kurinnyy and the civilians Semyonov and Sergeyev
are still in command. Due to budgetcuts the 2 EVA-s for this month have been put
back or cancelled. (So instead of 8 EVA-s this crew will stick to the 6 already
executed EVA-s.) So for the time being no replacement of Kristall's solar
batteries to Kvant-1, possibly indicating future changes of Kristalls redocking
to axial port and Buran-2 operations. Operations based on international
agreements go on, so the preparations for the 10-th expedition and the
guestflight of an Austrian and a Kazakh continue.

NEW YORK TIMES ABOUT SELLING OUT SOVIET SPACEPROGRAM:

The sources were unknown Soviet space officials and an American anonym. The
message has also been reported by Radio Moscow without denial or confirmation.
Better take this news with a pinch of salt: it is impossible to sell such a huge
and complicated infrastructure and the Americans are clever enough to refrain
from the purchase of the almost wornout centre core of the MIR-complex. In fact
they have their own budget problems. Possibly the anonym, after being made aware
of serious budgetproblems in Soviet space operations, uttered some personal
speculations.

Chris v.d. Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202.