MIRNEWS.467    25 AUGUST 1999

MIR-routine:

In fact the description 'routine' does not fully cover the activities on
board in this period. The major parts of the work are aimed at the
preparation of the MIR-space station for the upcoming unmanned status.
All available windows for radio communications are fully utilised,
and when there are no conversations the Packet Radio is red-hot, for the
stream of radiograms with a lot of instructions and recommendations does
not decrease. Often the cosmonauts speak with TsUP during the P/R
circular saw rattles. Most of the subjects in those radiograms can be
determined by the questions of the cosmonauts or supplements or changes
given by TsUP.

On 23.08 the SO, the docking compartment attached to the module
Kristall, was conserved and closed. The conservation of the module
Priroda had been put back to 25.08.99, which means that thereafter no
experiments can be executed with equipment installed in that module. The
experiments Dakon (convection experiment) and Alice-2 (a fluid
experiment) have been active until 24.08. Observations with the Lidar
Alisa were concluded on 19.08.99 and the gathered data were copied to
cassettes for retrieval to earth.

Fortunately on request by CNES the return of the crew had been put back
from 23 to 28.08, for there still has a lot of work to be done. The
freighter Progress-M42, docked to the complex, is fully loaded with all
what is superfluous. Among them also containers with urine. This urine
cannot be used any more to regenerate technical water, for the SRVU, the
system for this regeneration, had also to be switched off. The most
important part of the activities in this stage is the switching off of
all systems which are not needed during the unmanned status. For instance
on 24.08 the cosmonauts had to check whether the furnace Krater had been
switched off.

In the next months the Progress-M42 will now and then alter the orbit of
the MIR complex. This happened also at least 3 times during the past
week and this increased the altitude of MIR to approx. 359/353 KM.

After Priroda also the modules Kvant-2 and Kristall will be conserved.
The small air leakage in the module Kvant-2 has not been located thusfar
and a gradual decrease of the pressure in that module can be expected. I
do not know if the module Kristall will be closed. The module Spektr
cannot be conserved, for this module is not operational as of 27.06.1997.

Extra air seal checks have to be done on equipment which has valves to
outer space. (For instance the Vozdukh CO2 scrubbers, draining CO2 into
open space, and the Electrons doing the same with the hydrogen, a by-
product of the electrolyse process for the oxygen production.)

So there must be some concern about the module Kvant-2. On 25.08 the
cosmonauts got orders to report regularly the air pressure inside the
P.G.O. (instrument and cargo compartment of the Kvant-2).

Radio traffic reveals that the cosmonauts are working under great
pressure. During the disc-preparation of this report there were only 2
days left for all what still has to be done, inclusive items like the
checks of the systems of the return vehicle Soyuz-TM29, the execution of
a number of physical exercises and medical checks. Now and then I am
inclined to presume that the return must be put back some days (if this
is operationally possible).

Radio traffic is also dedicated to the selection of what the cosmonauts
will have to bring back to earth and which has to be stowed into the
descent module (SA) of the ship S-TM29. It will be pretty tight in
there!

Pressconference:

On 21.08.1999 there were 2 press conferences at TsUP. Main subject was an
evaluation of the results of the 27th Main Expedition to MIR. The
communications windows were pretty short and so the questions and answers
had to be very short. The crew fulfilled all their tasks. Haignere was
very pleased with his Perseus program, in which he also worked with
earlier installed equipment from CNES as well as from the German DLR,
such as the Titus furnace and many devices for geophysical- and
ionospheric research.

Commander Afanasyev told that he did not like that MIR would fly unmanned
so long. In one of the press conferences also the eventual 28th final
Main expedition was mentioned. Thusfar this is still unsure and depends
on the funding.

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