MIRNEWS.328    17 SEPTEMBER 1996

Start Atlantis:

Within 20 minutes after the launch of
Atlantis on mission STS-79 on 16.09.1996 at 08.54.49UTC
commander Readdy could be heard in a contact with Houston
via a relaystation in Spain. This was on 259.700 mc (AM)
between 0913-0919UTC.
For ballistic reasons lift-off took place 46 seconds
later than originally planned.

Rendez-vous and docking operations:

Begin MIR rendez-vous operation:  18.09   2134UTC
TI Burn  19.09   0003
Arrival on R-bar
(Earth radius vector)  0153
Hoovering at 170 feet from MIR  0235
Begin final approach  0310
Atlantis docks with MIR  0317
Hardmate Atlantis/MIR  0337

For observers in Western-Europe the passes of MIR (and
the then being in a short distance- of Atlantis) begin
during MIR's orbit nr. 60468 with a pass between 0307-
0315UTC, maximum elevation 2 degrees. So communications
between MIR and Atlantis might be possible on the well
known VHF frequencies. Whether there will be TV-images -
for instance via CNN- or not is not sure at this point.
If the Russians use Altair-1 (Cosmos-2054) over 16 dgs
West images seen by MIR of the approaching Atlantis might
be possible between 0230-0324UTC. During the last
dockingmission of Atlantis (STS-76) those images could
be seen via CNN together with images of MIR seen by a
camera in Atlantis. It is also possible that the Russians
will use Altair-2 (over 96 dgs East) during the window
from 0306-0402UTC.

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