MIRNEWS.212

Progress-M21 separated from the MIR-spacestation:

As of 30.01.94 this freighter occupied the aft (Kvant-1)
docking port of the complex. To enable the new freighter, Pr-
M22, to dock to that port Pr-M21 had to disappear.
On 23.03.94 at 0118UTC Pr-M21 undocked and flew its last
flight as an independent satellite until 0432UTC. At 0432UTC
Pr-M21's engine gave an impulse to bring her back in the
atmosphere. Consequently she burnt up and decayed over the
Pacific a few minutes later. Pr-M21 had no ballistic return
capsule on board.

Progress-M22 docked to the MIR-spacestation:

Pr-M22 docked to the aft (Kvant-1) docking port of the complex
on 24.03.94 at 0639UTC. The docking took place just after LOS
of MIR and Pr-M22 for my position. During the pass before the
docking MIR's radiotraffic on 143.625mc and Pr-M22's beacon on
922.755mc could be heard. Afanasyev reported data about the
approach: the final approach, distance 59 M, approach speed
0.3M/sec, etc. Already during the next pass (orb. 46281,
0803UTC) the hatch to Pr-M22 had been opened. Inside Pr-M22
all was clean and the crew -as always- enjoyed the nice smell
of apples. Pr-M22 delivered to the complex food, water, fuel,
post, spare parts and equipment for the maintenance of MIR's
systems and additional equipment to be used by Dr. Polyakov
for his medical experiments. If the Russians stick to the
original schedule Pr-M22 will have to leave the aft docking
port on 19.05.94 to enable her successor Progress-M23 to dock
on 20.05.94.
Pr-M22 does not have a VBK on board; Pr-M23 will carry a VBK.

Baykonur:

As of 22.03.94 Russian and Kazakhstan politicians
and experts are gathered in Moscow for negociations on a
draft agreement about the right of Russia to use the cosmodrome
Baykonur. Thusfar it was impossible to reach consonance
about the amount of money for the rent and the compensation
for ecological damages caused by soviet space-activities over
some decenniums. Russians are considering the possibility to
reconstruct the base for ICBM's near Svobodnyy (East Siberiya,
51degr24min N, 128degr07min E.) into a cosmodrome to replace
Baykonur. Yuriy Semyonov, Head of NPO 'Energiya', is against
this idea: in his opinion Russia will loose its place as a
leading space-power if Russia abandons Baykonur.

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