Mir
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see Mir (disambiguation).
Mir (Space Station) Mission insignia
Mir Insignia
Mir insignia
Mission statistics
Mission name    Mir
Call sign    Mir
Launch    February 19, 1986
21:28:23 UTC
Baikonur, USSR
Reentry    March 23, 2001
05:50:00 UTC
Crew    28 long duration crews
Occupied    4,594 days
In orbit    5,511 days
Number of
Orbits    89,067
Apogee    393 km /244 mi
Perigee    385 km /239 mi
Period    89.1 min
Inclination    51.6 deg
Distance
traveled    3,638,470,307 km / 2,260,840,632 mi
Orbital mass
w/Spektr, Kristal, etc.    124,340 kg
Configuration
Mir
Mir space station

Mir (Мир, which can mean both world and peace in Russian) was a Soviet (and later Russian) orbital station. It was humanity's first consistently inhabited long-term research station in space. Mir currently holds the record for longest continuous human presence in space at eight days less than 10 years. Through a number of collaborations, it was made internationally accessible to cosmonauts and astronauts of many different countries. Mir was assembled in orbit by successively connecting several modules, each launched separately from February 19, 1986 to 1996. The station existed until March 23, 2001, at which point it was deliberately de-orbited, and broke apart during atmospheric re-entry.
Contents
[hide]


Fully constructed space station Mir in 1996
Fully constructed space station Mir in 1996

Mir was based upon the Salyut series of space stations previously launched by the Soviet Union (seven Salyut space stations had been launched since 1971). It was mainly serviced by Russian-manned Soyuz spacecraft and Progress cargo ships, but it was anticipated that it would also be the destination for flights by the later-abandoned Buran space shuttle. The orbiting Mir's purpose was to provide a large and habitable scientific laboratory in space.

The United States had planned to build Space Station Freedom as its counterpart to Mir, but this project was cancelled after the fall of the Soviet Union made an international cooperation possible (see International Space Station). Also, the space shuttle Challenger exploded less than a month before Mir was launched into orbit (see Space Shuttle Challenger disaster). In later years, after the end of the Cold War, the Shuttle-Mir program combined Russia's Mir capabilities with United States space shuttles and allowed a couple of American and other western astronauts to visit or stay long-term on the station. The visiting US shuttles used a modified docking collar originally designed for the Soviet Buran shuttle, mounted on a bracket originally designed for use with Space Station Freedom. With the space shuttle docked to Mir the temporary enlargements of living and working areas amounted to a complex that was the world's largest spacecraft at that time in space history, with a combined mass of 250 tons.
Mir space station breaking up in Earth's atmosphere over the South Pacific on March 23, 2001.
Mir space station breaking up in Earth's atmosphere over the South Pacific on March 23, 2001.

Inside, the 100-ton Mir looked like a cramped labyrinth, crowded with hoses, cables and scientific instruments – as well as articles of everyday life, such as photos, children's drawings, books and a guitar. It commonly housed three crewmembers, but it sometimes supported as many as six for up to a month. Except for two short periods, Mir was continuously occupied until August 1999.

The journey of the 15-year-old Russian space station ended on March 23, 2001, as Mir re-entered the Earth's atmosphere near Nadi, Fiji, and fell into the South Pacific Ocean. Near the end of its life, there were plans for private interests to purchase Mir, possibly for use as the first orbital television/movie studio. A privately funded Soyuz mission carried two crew members to the station to carry out some repair work with the hope of proving that the station could be made safe; however this was to be the last manned mission to Mir. Whilst Russia was optimistic about the future of Mir, commitments to the International Space Station project meant that there was no funding to support the aging station. Early proposals by Russia to use Mir as the core of the ISS were firmly rejected by NASA, and when the first ISS components were launched NASA insisted upon an orbit which effectively prevented transfer between the two stations. Many in the space community still felt that at least some of Mir was salvageable and that considering the extremely high costs of getting material into orbit, disposing of Mir was a wasted opportunity.

In addition to Soviet/Russian cosmonauts, Mir hosted international scientists and U.S. astronauts.

[edit] Mir modules

The Mir space station was constructed by connecting several Mir modules, each launched into orbit separately by the Proton rocket, except for the Docking Module, which was brought to Mir by the Space Shuttle.
Module    Launch Date    Launch vehicle    Docking Date    Mass    Soyuz    Purpose    Configuration
Core    February 19, 1986    Proton 8K82K    N/A    20,100 kg    N/A    Living quarters    
Kvant-1    March 31, 1987    Proton 8K82K    ~April 9, 1987    10,000 kg    TM-2    Astronomy    
Kvant-2    November 26, 1989    Proton 8K82K    December 6, 1989    19,640 kg    TM-8    Newer, more sophisticated life support systems.    
Kristall    May 31, 1990    Proton 8K82K    June 10, 1990    19,640 kg    TM-9    Technology, material processing, geophysics and astrophysics laboratory    
Spektr    May 20, 1995    Proton 8K82K    June 1, 1995    19,640 kg    TM-21    House experiments for the US-Russian Cooperation program.    
Docking Module    November 12, 1995    STS-74 Atlantis    November 15, 1995    6,134 kg    TM-22    Used as a docking port for the Space Shuttle.    
Priroda    April 23, 1996    Proton 8K82K    April 26, 1996    19,000 kg    TM-23    Remote sensing module    

[edit] Core Module

The Core Module provided living quarters and station control. It was equipped with six docking ports, and it served as a core of the multi-modular space station. It was launched on February 19, 1986 at 21:28 UTC from Baikonur LC200 with a Proton 8K82K. Its initial orbit had a Perigee of 387 km and Apogee of 395 km. The inclination was 51.6 deg for the duration of the station (and is the same for the International Space Station). The initial period was 92.4 min.

Although the Core Module resembled Salyut 6 and Salyut 7, there were also major differences between them. Because most of the additional instruments can be placed onboard "add-on" modules, much of the scientific equipment found on Salyut space stations was absent. It was equipped with six docking ports, and it served as a core of the later multi-modular space station.

[edit] Kvant-1

Kvant-1 (means "quantum") was originally planned to dock with Salyut 7 , Mir's predecessor. The module experienced technical problems during its development, however, and it was reassigned for Mir. The module carried the first set of six gyroscopes for attitude control. The module also carried instruments for X-ray and ultraviolet astrophysical observation.
Kvant-1 with its orbital tug attached
Kvant-1 with its orbital tug attached

The initial rendezvous of the Kvant-1 module with Mir on April 5, 1987 was troubled by the failure of the onboard control system. After the failure of the second attempt to dock, the onboard cosmonauts conducted a spacewalk to fix the problem. They found a trash bag between the module and the station, which prevented the docking. The bag was left in orbit after the departure of one of the cargo ships. They removed the bag and completed docking on April 12.

[edit] Kvant-2

The Kvant-2 module was based on a TKS transport spacecraft. It contained scientific instruments and the crew's shower. It also contained a second set of gyroscopes that was mounted on the exterior of the spacecraft, and a new life support system for recycling water and generating oxygen.

It was divided into three sections. One of them was a large airlock featuring a one-metre hatch. It was used for conducting spacewalks and thus contained a special backpack. Its size and functions are similar to the US Manned Maneuvering Unit.

[edit] Kristall

Kristall (meaning "crystal" in Russian) was a technology, material processing, geophysics and astrophysics laboratory.

The main purpose of the Kristall module was to serve as a docking port for the Soviet's Buran-class space shuttle. It was to be used in a planned Shuttle Ptichka mission in the early 1990s. This never happened as the Soviet's space shuttle program was terminated in the 1990s, and the module was used later to serve as the docking port of the American Space Shuttle instead.

Other equipments included the Crater-V electrical furnace, the Svetlana experiment, and the experiments Buket, Marina and Glazar. The Crater-V electrical furnace was designed for the purpose of creating high quality gallium arsenide and zinc oxide crystals. The Svetlana experiment included a small greenhouse for the cultivation of plants, equipped with a source of light and a feeding system. Finally, the experiments Buket, Marina and Glazar were designed for ultraviolet astronomy observations.

[edit] Spektr

Spektr served as the living and working space for American astronauts. The module moved positions on the station on July 17, 1995 to its final position by the robotic arm aboard the station.
[edit] Docking Module

During the STS-71 mission, Atlantis docked directly with the Kristall module, using the docking port intended for the Soviet-era Buran shuttle. In order to provide sufficient clearance between the shuttle and Mir's solar arrays, the Kristall module had to be shifted from its usual position to Mir's axial docking port. This left only one docking port for use by Soyuz or Progress vehicles, preventing Mir from receiving supplies, exchanging crews, or replacing a docked Soyuz.

The problem was solved by attaching the Docking Module to Kristall's docking port, thereby providing enough clearance for a shuttle to dock with Mir without moving Kristall or coming too close to the station's solar arrays.

[edit] Priroda

Priroda (Meaning Nature in Russian) conducted Earth remote sensing.

Before, during and after the Shuttle-Mir Program, Mir was tended and resupplied by manned Soyuz capsules and unmanned Progress cargo vehicles.

[edit] Names
Mir and the Moon, two satellites of the Earth
Mir and the Moon, two satellites of the Earth

In Russian, Mir (Мир) can mean both "peace", or "world." Kvant (Квант) means "quantum", a name derived from its purpose to provide research in astrophysics by measuring electromagnetic spectra and x-ray emissions. Kristall (Кристалл) means "crystal", and a main purpose of this module is to develop biological and materials-production technologies in the space environment. Spektr (Спектр) means "spectrum", so named for its atmospheric sensors. Priroda (Природа) means "nature." Progress (Прогресс) means the same as it does in English. Soyuz (Союз) means "union", so named for the USSR (Sovietskii Soyuz, Советский Союз = Soviet Union) and because the spacecraft was a union of three smaller modules.

[edit] International cooperation
This image was recorded by astronauts as the Space Shuttle Atlantis approached the Russian space station prior to docking during the STS-76 mission. Sporting spindly appendages and solar panels, Mir is seen orbiting about 350 kilometers above New Zealand's South Island and the city of Nelson near Cook Strait.
This image was recorded by astronauts as the Space Shuttle Atlantis approached the Russian space station prior to docking during the STS-76 mission. Sporting spindly appendages and solar panels, Mir is seen orbiting about 350 kilometers above New Zealand's South Island and the city of Nelson near Cook Strait.

In September 1993 U.S. Vice-President Al Gore and Russian prime minister Viktor Chernomyrdin announced plans for a new space station, which would later be called the International Space Station, or ISS. They also agreed that, in preparation for this new project, the U.S. would be largely involved in the Mir project in the years ahead, under the code name Phase One (the ISS being Phase Two). Space shuttles would take part in the transportation of supplies and people to and from Mir. U.S. astronauts would live on Mir for many months on end. Thus the U.S. could share and learn from the unique experience that Russia had with long duration space trips.
The American Space Shuttle Atlantis docked to the Russian Mir Space Station
The American Space Shuttle Atlantis docked to the Russian Mir Space Station

Starting from March 1995 seven U.S. astronauts consecutively spent 28 months on Mir. During their stay the space station went through rough times and several acute emergencies occurred, notably a large fire on February 23, 1997, and a collision with a Progress (unmanned) cargo ship on June 25, 1997. In both occasions complete evacuation (there was a Soyuz escape craft for return to earth) was avoided by a narrow margin. The second disaster left a hole in the Spektr module, which then was sealed off from the rest of the station. Several space walks were needed to restore full power to Mir (one of the "space walks" was inside the Spektr module from which all the air had escaped).

The cooperation between the U.S. and Russia proved far from easy. Distrust, lack of coordination, language problems, different views of each others' responsibilities and divergent interests caused many problems. After the emergencies, the U.S. Congress and NASA considered whether the U.S. should abandon the program out of concern for astronauts' safety. NASA administrator Daniel S. Goldin decided to continue the program. In June 1998, the final U.S. Mir astronaut Andy Thomas left the station aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery.

The story of Phase One is described in great detail by Bryan Burrough in his book Dragonfly: NASA and the Crisis Aboard Mir (1998).

The Mir space station was originally planned to be followed by a Mir 2, and elements of that project, including the core module (now called Zvezda) which was labeled as "Mir-2" for quite some time in the factory, are now an integral part of the International Space Station.
evo odlican sajt o miru


http://www.russianspaceweb.com/mir.html

  Bravo za temu

ajmo ljudi stavite podatke o miru ili uopste o svemirskim stanicama
cuo sam da rusi pripremaju jo jednu kad ovu povuku sto ce biti u roku od nekoliko godina
a radi se na iss

Dali si čuo Lord_Vader da rusi spremaju nešto poput spejsšatla, mislim da se zove Kliper ili tako nešto? Inače lepa tema za razliku od one koju sam ja danas postavio (veoma tužna tema  )!!!

da nastavnik mi je pre godinu rekao tako nesto
jel zna neko imena ruskih svemirskih brodova

U knjizi za 5. razred za Opšte tehničko mog starijeg brata sam našao sliku na kojoj su ucrtani svi sateliti oko zemlje i svemirski brodovi sa imenom i zemljom! Nažalost moj stariji brat je zagubio tu knjigu! Potraži je ti kod starije sestre!

rusi su imali space satl kao ameri , mada to je bila cista kradja od strane rusa, mada oni ga nisu ja mislim nijednom poslali u svemir

ne verujem da je to bila kradja cim ga nisu pustali u svemir zna se ko voli da krade nazalost kgb nemam sestru bar ne rodjenu imam brata al je mladji

ja sam cuo da rusi i amerikanci (mozda i japan) grade zajednicku svemirsku stanicu posto je mir vec imao neke kvarove. navodno bi trebalo da bude podeljena na vise delova za svaku od tih drzava...

mir je tamo vec 20 godina i dobro se drzi da nije mozda medjunarodna u tom projektu ucestvuje 17 zemalja
jel zna neko na kojoj udaljenosti je mir od zemlje

Neznamo! Reci nam!

MIR je na dnu mora... zar se ne sjecate da su ga rusi pizemljili...

pa ja vas pitam jer ne znam