MIRNEWS.118    19 JANUARY 1992

MOSCOWTIME:

For those monitoring Radio Moscow: last night Moscow time changed.
The clocks have been put 1 hour forward and the new time can be considered to be
an interimtime. It is called: Sunlight Saving Time and will be valid until 29
March 1992. In the night from 28 to 29 March 1992 the clock will move 1 hour
forward again. So Moscow time is now UTC+3. (TsUP, and the cosmonauts already
used UTC+3 and consequently TsUP/MIR-time is now equal to Moscow time.)

ATTITUDE CONTROL FAILURE HAMPER IMPORTANT OPERATIONS:

During the last weeks preparations were going on to make the returncapsule readyifor
a safe return to Earth. This capsule on board freighter Progress-M10 on 18
January 1992 had to separate from the then undocked Pr-M10 for a safe descent.
On 16 January 1992 the cosmonauts reported a failure of the Attitude Control
System. On 17 January 1992 experts on TsUP were still considering what to do,
but they already postponed the undocking of the Progress-M10. About the planned
launch of Pr-M11 on 21 January 1992 they were not sure. Krikalyov suggested TsUP
to carry out both operations and he uttered some alternatives for the attitude
control. Until and inclusive 18 January 1992 Pr-M10 has not been used for an
orbitcorrection either.

PROGRESS-M11:

The crew confirmed that Pr-M11 will not be equipped by a returncapsule.
So the original plan to use such a capsule with Pr-M11 has been cancelled.

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