MIRNEWS.134    27 JUNE 1992

PROGRESS-M13:

Launch of this freighter still on schedule for 30 June 1992.
Russian spaceflight authorities now have to take in account
interests and feelings of the population, about which they -
under protection of the former Soviet Mil. Industrial complexnever
bothered. The people living in the Novosibirsk area
always feared launches from Baykonur. After launches parts of
the rockets (1st stages, hatches, etc.) fall down in that
area. Thusfar no accidents or damages have been reported -this
in contradiction to the groundtrack areas in Kazakhstan-, but
people is always aware of space-launch hazards. To cultivate
more goodwill and understanding for space-flight the Baykonur
launch-site authorities invited representatives of the administration,
civil defence and press of the Novosibirsk
region to attend the launch of Progress-M13 on the spot.

EXTRA VEHICULAR ACTIVITY (SPACEWALK):

This EVA will take place on 8 or 10 July 1992. The work to be
done by the cosmonauts during that EVA is crucial for the
operational existence of the MIR complex. 4 of the 6 gyrodynes
in Module-D are out of order and so the attitude control of
the complex is working unsatisfactorely. For the repair work
during the next EVA equipment and tools have to be delivered
to MIR by Progress-M13 on 2 July 1992. In the future more work
to restore the SUD (movements control system) must be done.
For a provisional solution (to keep control on the roll, Xaxis,
of the complex)f the next crew (Solovyov and Avdeyev)
will have to install the VDU (external movements control
motor) in the top of the Soforagirder.

Chris van den Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202.