MIRNEWS.425    3 JUNE 1998

Communications:

Just a few minutes after logging in and sending away my
MIRNEWS.424 my spectrometer showed the well-known 'peak' on 10.830GHz
indicating that Altair-2 was in use for MIR-TsUP communications.

For me the final confirmation that MIR's gyrodynes were maintaining the
stations's orientation.

So Altair-2 can be used during the apporach of Discovery, the combined
operations and during the separation and fly around on 8.06.1998. Possibly the
Altair-2 is the only way for the transmission of TV-images during the STS-91
mission for Discovery has problems with the transmission of images due to a
failure of the Ku-band antenna. This antenna is not able to transmit data and
reports, but has no receiving problems.

The crew of Discovery uses the S-band possibilites for phone- and other
commmunications.

It might be possible that, as soon as this message reaches the users the Ku-
band problem in Discovery has been solved, but if this is not the case let us
hope that the Russians will extend the use of Altair-2 for communications.

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