List_of_Mir_spacewalks

List of <i>Mir</i> spacewalks

List of Mir spacewalks

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Mir (Russian: Мир, IPA: [ˈmʲir]; lit. Peace or World) was a Soviet and later Russian space station, operational in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001. With a mass greater than that of any previous space station, Mir was constructed from 1986 to 1996 with a modular design, the first to be assembled in this way. The station was the largest artificial satellite orbiting the Earth until its deorbit on 21 March 2001, a record now surpassed by the International Space Station (ISS). Mir served as a microgravity research laboratory in which crews conducted experiments in biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, meteorology and spacecraft systems in order to develop technologies required for the permanent occupation of space.[1][2]

A view of Mir backdropped by the limb of the Earth. In view are four cylindrical modules covered in white insulation arranged in a cross shape about a small, central sphere. Another module projects backward from this sphere, and a small module is attached to the far end of that. Each module is sprouting various solar arrays, cranes and other spindly equipment, with Soyuz and Progress spacecraft docked to the forward and aft ports of the complex.
A view of Mir on 12 June 1998 as seen from the departing Space Shuttle Discovery during STS-91

Following the success of the Salyut programme, Mir represented the next stage in the Soviet Union's space station programme. The first module of the station, known as the core module or base block, was launched in 1986, and was followed by six further modules (Kvant-1 (1987), Kvant-2 (1989), Kristall (1990), Spektr (1995), the docking module (1995) and Priroda (1996)), all launched by Proton rockets (with the exception of the docking module). When complete, the station consisted of seven pressurised modules and several unpressurised components. Power was provided by several solar arrays mounted directly on the modules. The station was maintained at an orbit between 296 km (184 mi) and 421 km (262 mi) altitude and travelled at an average speed of 27,700 km/h (17,200 mph), completing 15.7 Earth orbits per day.[2][3][4]

Spacewalks (Extra-vehicular activities, or EVAs) in support of the operation of the station were major events in the assembly and maintenance of the orbital laboratory. EVAs were performed to install new components onto the station, to repair and replace various experiments, systems and equipment, and to install, monitor and retrieve scientific experiments. The first EVA carried out at Mir was held on 11 April 1987, when EO-2 crewmembers Yury Romanenko and Aleksandr Laveykin assisted in the docking of the Kvant-1 module. The longest EVA was performed on 17 July 1990, when EO-6 crewmembers Anatoly Solovyev and Aleksandr Balandin left the station to repair their spacecraft, Soyuz TM-9, then encountered difficulties shutting the airlock hatch upon their return. The total time for that spacewalk was seven hours and sixteen minutes, close to the absolute limit of their Orlan-DMA spacesuits.[5][6]

In total, eighty EVAs were conducted around Mir from 1987 to 2000. Sixty-three EVAs were conducted from Kvant-2's airlock, fifteen from the core module's docking node (of which three were so-called 'intravehicular activities', or IVAs, within Spektr), and two from the airlock of the Space Shuttle Atlantis.[2]

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† denotes EVAs performed from the core module's docking node.
‡ denotes EVAs performed from the airlock of the Space Shuttle Atlantis.
All other EVAs were performed from the airlock in Kvant-2.
EVAs conducted during different principal expeditions (EO, Russian: экспедиция основная, lit. mission primary) are separated by a wide blue line. Space Shuttle missions (STS) are not separated from the expedition during which they took place.

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A man dressed in a spacesuit clings to a truss structure, manipulating a second truss with his left hand. Cabling can be seen running along both trusses, and the Earth's horizon can be seen in the background against the blackness of space.
A man dressed in a spacesuit seen crawling along a white, cylindrical space station module. A large solar array can be seen projecting from the top of the module, and various other pieces of apparatus are visible. The Earth's horizon and space are visible behind the solar array.
A man dressed in a white spacesuit with a red stripe seen clinging to the end of a boom-like crane, moving over a white space station module. Various trusses, solar arrays and other structures project from the module, and the Earth is visible in the background.
A man dressed in a white spacesuit with a red stripe manoeuvres along a boom-like crane towards a white cone-shaped space station module. Four arrays, one of which is damaged, project from the module, and the blackness of space forms the background. The rim of the porthole through which the photograph was taken is visible to the right of the image.
Yury Onufriyenko scales the Sofora truss during EO-21. Yury Usachov seen working on Kvant-1 during EO-21. Vasily Tsibliyev traverses Mir using a Strela crane during EO-23. Anatoly Solovyev inspects the exterior of Spektr during the second EVA of EO-24.

References

  1. [1]
    Wade, Mark (5 March 2011). "Mir". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on 23 December 2008. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  2. [2]
    Harland, David (30 November 2004). The Story of Space Station Mir. New York: Springer-Verlag New York Inc. ISBN 978-0-387-23011-5.
  3. [3]
    Clark, Philip S (2000). "Orbital manoeuvres of the Mir complex". In Hall, Rex (ed.). The History of Mir 1986–2000. London: British Interplanetary Society. pp. 40–52. ISBN 0-9506597-4-6.
  4. [4]
    "Orbital period of a planet". CalcTool. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  5. [5]
    Shayler, David J (2000). "Mir EVA Logs 1987–2000". In Hall, Rex (ed.). The History of Mir 1986–2000. London: British Interplanetary Society. pp. 101–105. ISBN 0-9506597-4-6.
  6. [6]
    Shayler, David J (2001). "Mir EVA Logs 1987–2001". In Hall, Rex (ed.). Mir: The Final Year. London: British Interplanetary Society. pp. 9–10 & 19–21. ISBN 0-9506597-5-4.
  7. [7]
    McDonald, Sue (December 1998). Mir Mission Chronicle (PDF). NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 May 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
  8. [8]
    Dumoulin, Jim (29 June 2001). "STS-76 Day 6 Highlights". NASA. Retrieved 12 February 2011.
  9. [9]
    Linenger, Jerry (1 January 2001). Off the Planet: Surviving Five Perilous Months Aboard the Space Station Mir. New York, USA: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-137230-5.
  10. [10]
    Burrough, Bryan (7 January 1998). Dragonfly: NASA and the Crisis Aboard Mir. London, UK: Fourth Estate Ltd. ISBN 978-1-84115-087-1.
  11. [11]
    Dumoulin, Jim (29 June 2001). "STS-86 Day 7 Highlights". NASA. Retrieved 12 February 2011.

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