How many blocks was the Mir station made of? Interesting facts about the Mir space station (15 photos)

TASS-DOSSIER /Inna Klimacheva/. 15 years ago, on March 23, 2001, the Russian orbital space station Mir was deorbited and sunk in the Pacific Ocean. For the first time, a controlled safe deorbit of such a large space object (the mass of the station was 140 tons) and its flooding in a given area of the World Ocean was carried out.

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"World"- Soviet (later Russian) manned orbital station. The world's first modular space station and the eighth built in the USSR and launched into low-Earth orbit. Previously, Salyut-1 (was in orbit in 1971), Salyut-2 (1973; due to depressurization was not operated in manned mode), Salyut-3 (1974-1975), Salyut -4" (1974-1977), "Salyut-5" (1976-1977), "Salyut-6" (1977-1982) and "Salyut-7" (1982-1991).

Project history

Work on the Mir orbital complex (original name: Salyut-8) began in the mid-1970s. NPO Energia (now Rocket and Space Corporation Energia named after S.P. Korolev; Korolev, Moscow region) in 1976 released technical proposals for improved long-term orbital stations.

In 1978, a preliminary design was ready, and in February 1979, the creation of the basic block of the station began. NPO Energia became the main developer and manufacturer of the base unit and other modules of the Mir. The State Space Research and Production Center named after. M.V. Khrunicheva (Moscow): the company’s specialists created and manufactured structures and systems that ensure autonomous flight of the station modules. In total, 280 enterprises and organizations were involved in the project.

Station configuration and characteristics

The first module of the station (base block) was launched on February 20, 1986 (at 00:28 Moscow time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on a Proton-K launch vehicle. It was the main link of "Mir" and united the remaining modules into a single complex. The base block contained equipment for controlling crew life support systems and scientific equipment, as well as places for the astronauts to rest.

After the launch of the base unit, the station was assembled in orbit for ten years. The Kvant module was launched in 1987. Kvant-2 - in 1989, from which crew members exited open space. The fourth module, called Kristall, was launched into orbit in 1990; it provided dockings with Soyuz and Progress spacecraft. In 1995, Spektr equipped the station with two additional solar panels.

In the same year, the orbital complex included a docking compartment to ensure the mooring of American reusable ships of the Space Shuttle type (Space Shuttle or shuttle), was delivered into orbit by the Atlantis shuttle and docked to the Crystal. With the launch of the Priroda module into orbit in April 1996, the construction of the station was completed. All modules of the station housed scientific equipment, including foreign equipment from 27 countries. Mir had six docking ports.

The Mir station was about 30 m long and weighed more than 140 tons (with two docked ships), of which 11.5 tons were scientific equipment. The total volume of the sealed compartments was about 400 cubic meters. m, area solar panels- 76 sq. m. The working orbit was at an altitude of 320-420 km.

The delivery of the main crews and the supply of the station was carried out by manned spacecraft Soyuz T, Soyuz TM and automatic cargo ships Progress, Progress M, Progress M1.

Exploitation

The first expedition, consisting of commander Leonid Kizim and flight engineer Vladimir Solovyov, arrived at the station on March 15, 1986 on the Soyuz T-15 spacecraft; the cosmonauts worked in orbit for more than four months (125 days).

In total, 28 long-term main expeditions worked on Mir. Since 1987, international programs have been implemented within the framework of visiting expeditions with the participation of representatives of other states.

During the entire operation of the station, 104 cosmonauts and astronauts visited it (11 of them were women), including 62 foreigners - representatives of the European Space Agency and 11 countries (Austria, Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Germany, Canada, Syria, Slovakia, USA , France, Japan). Talgat Musabaev performed work at the station under the programs of Russia and Kazakhstan (1994, 1998).

In 1995-1998, jointly with the United States, work was carried out under the Mir-Shuttle and Mir-NASA programs, within the framework of which nine shuttle dockings with Mir were carried out (in total, 44 American astronauts visited the station).

78 spacewalks were carried out from the orbital complex with a total duration of 359 hours and 12 minutes (including three exits into the depressurized Spektr module).

During Mir's operation, 105 flights were made to it. spaceships: 31 manned and 64 cargo (USSR, Russian Federation), as well as 10 American shuttles (9 dockings and one flight over the station).

31.2 thousand sessions of experiments were conducted in various fields of science and technology (astrophysics, biotechnology, geophysics, medicine and biotechnology, etc.), including 7.6 thousand in international programs.

At the Mir station Russian cosmonauts Two world records were set that have not yet been broken. Valeria Polyakov carried out the longest flight - 437 days 17 hours 58 minutes 17 seconds (from January 1994 to March 1995). Anatoly Solovyov holds the record for the largest number spacewalks - 16 (78 hours 48 minutes), which he performed during expeditions to Mir.

Flooding

It was initially assumed that the station would operate in orbit for five years. However, a lack of funds led to the delay in creating a “replacement” station. At Mir, work was regularly carried out to extend its life. During the existence of the orbital complex, about 1.5 thousand problems were recorded. The most serious accident occurred on June 25, 1997: during redocking, the Progress M-34 cargo ship (launched on April 6 of the same year) crashed into the Spektr module, which led to the depressurization of the module. The three cosmonauts on Mir at the time were not injured, having managed to batten down the transfer hatch in time.

In the summer of 1998, the question of completing the operation of the Mir was raised; subsequently, the date for flooding the complex was postponed three times. On June 16, 2000, the crew of the 28th expedition mothballed and left the station; it was transferred to unmanned automatic flight mode. The final decision to flood the station was made in December 2000.

On March 23, 2001, the Russian space station Mir was sunk in the Pacific Ocean - in its non-navigable southern part, near Christmas Island. The flooding operation was completely automatic and took about seven hours. Most of The structure of the complex burned down in the dense layers of the atmosphere, the remaining fragments fell into the ocean.

The total flight time of the Mir was 15 years, one month and four days (5510 days 8 hours 32 minutes). The station made more than 86 thousand orbits around the Earth and flew a distance of approximately 3.7 billion km.

Contribution to the creation of the ISS

The experience of building a modular orbital complex and operating Mir was used to create the International Space Station, which has been in low-Earth orbit since 1998.

At one time, we abandoned flights to the Moon, but learned to build space houses. The most famous of which was the Mir station, which worked in space not three (as planned), but 15 years.

The Mir orbital space station was a third-generation orbital manned space station. The manned stations of the third generation were distinguished by the presence of a base block BB with six docking nodes, which made it possible to create an entire space complex in orbit.

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OKS WORLD
Dimensions:2100x2010
Type: JPEG Picture
Size: 3.62 MB The Mir station had a number of fundamental features that characterize the new generation of orbital manned complexes. The main one should be called the principle of modularity implemented in it. This applies not only to the entire complex as a whole, but also to its individual parts and on-board systems. The main developer of Mir is RSC Energia named after. S.P. Korolev, developer and manufacturer of the base unit and station modules - GKNPTs im. M.V. Khrunicheva. Over the years of operation, in addition to the base unit, the complex has been equipped with five large modules and a special docking compartment with improved androgynous-type docking units. In 1997, the configuration of the orbital complex was completed. The orbit of the Mir space station had an inclination of 51.6. The first crew was delivered to the station by the Soyuz T-15 spacecraft.
Base unit The BB is the first component of the Mir space station. It was assembled in April 1985, and since May 12, 1985 has been subjected to numerous tests on the assembly stand. As a result, the unit has been significantly improved, especially its on-board cable system.

To replace the still flying OKS Salyut-7, it was launched into orbit by the Proton launch vehicle of the tenth OKS Mir (DOS-7) on February 20, 1986. This "foundation" of the station is similar in size and appearance to the orbital stations of the "series" Salyut", as it is based on the Salyut-6 and Salyut-7 projects. At the same time, there were many fundamental differences, which included more powerful solar panels and advanced computers at that time.

The basis was a sealed working compartment with a central control post and communications equipment. Comfort for the crew was provided by two individual cabins and a common wardroom with a work desk and devices for heating water and food. There was a treadmill and bicycle ergometer nearby. A portable airlock chamber was built into the wall of the housing. On the outer surface of the working compartment there were 2 rotating solar panels and a fixed third one, mounted by the astronauts during the flight. In front of the working compartment there is a sealed transition compartment that can serve as a gateway for access to outer space. It had five docking ports for connection with transport ships and scientific modules. Behind the working compartment there is a leaky aggregate compartment. It contains a propulsion system with fuel tanks. In the middle of the compartment is a sealed transition chamber ending in a docking unit to which the Kvant module was connected during the flight.

The basic module had two engines located in the aft section, which were designed specifically for orbital maneuvers. Each engine was capable of pushing 300 kg. However, after the Kvant-1 module arrived at the station, both engines could not fully function, since the aft port was occupied. Outside the assembly compartment, on a rotating rod, there was a highly directional antenna that provided communication through a relay satellite located in geostationary orbit.

The main purpose of the Basic Module was to provide conditions for the life activities of astronauts on board the station. The astronauts could watch films that were delivered to the station, read books - the station had an extensive library

The 2nd module (astrophysical, “Kvant” or “Kvant-1”) was launched into orbit in April 1987. It was docked on April 9, 1987. Structurally, the module was a single pressurized compartment with two hatches, one of which is a working port for reception of transport ships. Around it there was a complex of astrophysical instruments, mainly for studying X-ray sources inaccessible to observations from Earth. On the outer surface, the astronauts mounted two mounting points for rotating reusable solar panels, as well as a work platform on which large-sized farms were installed. At the end of one of them there was an external propulsion unit (VPU).

The main parameters of the Quantum module are as follows:
Weight, kg 11050
Length, m 5.8
Maximum diameter, m 4.15
Volume under atmospheric pressure, cubic meters. m 40
Area of solar panels, sq. m 1
Output power, kW 6

The Kvant-1 module was divided into two sections: a laboratory filled with air, and equipment placed in an unpressurized airless space. The laboratory room, in turn, was divided into a compartment for instruments and a living compartment, which were separated by an internal partition. The laboratory compartment was connected to the station premises through an airlock chamber. Voltage stabilizers were located in the section that was not filled with air. The astronaut can monitor observations from a room inside the module, filled with air at atmospheric pressure. This 11-ton module contained astrophysics instruments, life support and altitude control equipment. Quantum also made it possible to conduct biotechnological experiments in the field of antiviral drugs and fractions.

The complex of scientific equipment of the Roentgen observatory was controlled by teams from the Earth, but the operating mode of the scientific instruments was determined by the peculiarities of the functioning of the Mir station. The station's near-Earth orbit was low-apogee (altitude above the earth's surface about 400 km) and practically circular, with an orbital period of 92 minutes. The orbital plane is inclined to the equator by approximately 52°, so twice during the period the station passed through radiation belts - high-latitude regions where magnetic field The Earth retains charged particles with energies sufficient to be detected by the sensitive detectors of the observatory instruments. Due to the high background they created during the passage of radiation belts, the complex of scientific instruments was always turned off.

Another feature was the rigid connection of the Kvant module with the other blocks of the Mir complex (the astrophysical instruments of the module are directed towards the -Y axis). Therefore, pointing scientific instruments to sources of cosmic radiation was carried out by turning the entire station, as a rule, with the help of electromechanical gyrodynes (gyros). However, the station itself must be oriented in a certain way in relation to the Sun (usually the position is maintained with the -X axis towards the Sun, sometimes with the +X axis), otherwise the energy production from solar panels will decrease. In addition, station turns at large angles led to irrational consumption of the working fluid, especially in last years, when the modules docked to the station gave it significant moments of inertia due to its 10-meter length in a cross-shaped configuration.

Therefore, over the years, as the station was replenished with new modules, the observation conditions became more complicated, and then at each moment in time only a strip of the celestial sphere 20o wide along the plane of the station’s orbit was available for observations - such a limitation was imposed by the orientation of the solar panels (it is also necessary to exclude the hemisphere from this strip occupied by the Earth and the region around the Sun). The orbital plane precessed with a period of 2.5 months, and in general only the areas around the northern and south poles peace.

As a result, the duration of one observation session of the Roentgen observatory ranged from 14 to 26 minutes, and one or several sessions were organized per day, and in the second case they followed with an interval of about 90 minutes (on adjacent orbits) pointing at the same source .

In November 1989, the operation of the Kvant module was temporarily interrupted for the period of reconfiguration of the Mir station, when two additional modules: "Kvant-2" and "Crystal". Since the end of 1990, regular observations of the Roentgen observatory were resumed, however, due to the increase in the volume of work at the station and more stringent restrictions on its orientation, the average annual number of sessions after 1990 decreased significantly and more than 2 sessions were not carried out in a row, whereas in 1988 - In 1989, up to 8-10 sessions were sometimes organized per day.

Since 1995, work began on processing the project software. Until this time, ground-based processing of scientific data from the Roentgen observatory was carried out at the IKI RAS on the institute-wide computer EC-1065. Historically, it consisted of two stages: primary (separation of the scientific data module for individual instruments from the “raw” telemetry and their purification) and secondary (processing and analysis of the scientific data itself). The primary processing was carried out by the department of R.R. Nazirov (in recent years, the main work in this direction was carried out by A.N. Ananenkova), and the secondary processing was carried out by a group on individual instruments from the department of Astrophysics High Energy.

However, by 1995, there was a need to switch to more modern, reliable and productive computing equipment - SUN-Sparc workstations. For comparatively short term The project's scientific data archive was copied from magnetic tapes to hard drives. Software for secondary data processing was written in FORTRAN-77, so its transfer to the new operating environment required only minor corrections and also did not take too much time. However, some of the programs for primary processing were in PL and various reasons could not be transferred. This led to the fact that by 1998 the initial processing of new sessions became impossible. Finally, in the fall of 1998, a unit was re-created that processed “raw” telemetric information coming from the KVANT module and separated the primary information into various instruments, preliminary cleaning and sorting of scientific data. Since that time, the entire cycle of data processing from the RENTGEN observatory has been carried out in the Department of High Energy Astrophysics on a modern computer base - IBM-PC and SUN-Sparc workstations. The modernization carried out made it possible to significantly increase the efficiency of processing incoming scientific data.

Module “Kvant-2”

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Kvant-2 module
Dimensions:2691x1800
Type: GIF Figure
Size: 106 KB The 3rd module (retrofit, “Kvant-2”) was launched into orbit by the Proton launch vehicle on November 26, 1989 13:01:41 (UTC) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, from launch complex No. 200L. This block is also called the retrofitting module; it contains a significant amount of equipment necessary for the station’s life support systems and creating additional comfort for its inhabitants. The airlock compartment is used as spacesuit storage and as a hangar for the astronaut's autonomous means of transportation.

The spacecraft was launched into orbit with the following parameters:

circulation period - 89.3 minutes;
minimum distance from the Earth's surface (at perigee) - 221 km;
the maximum distance from the Earth's surface (at apogee) is 339 km.

Intended to retrofit the Mir station with life support systems for astronauts and increase the power supply of the orbital complex. The module was equipped with motion control systems using power gyroscopes, power supply systems, new installations for oxygen production and water regeneration, household appliances, retrofitting the station with scientific equipment, equipment and providing crew spacewalks, as well as for conducting various scientific research and experiments. The module consisted of three sealed compartments: instrument-cargo, instrument-scientific, and a special airlock with an outward-opening exit hatch with a diameter of 1000 mm.

The module had one active docking unit installed along its longitudinal axis on the instrument and cargo compartment. The Kvant-2 module and all subsequent modules were docked to the axial docking unit of the transition compartment of the base unit (-X axis), then using a manipulator the module was transferred to the side docking unit of the transition compartment. The standard position of the Kvant-2 module as part of the Mir station is the Y axis.

:
Registration number 1989-093A / 20335
Start date and time (universal time) 13h.01m.41s. 11/26/1989
Launch vehicle Proton-K Vehicle mass (kg) 19050
The module is also designed for conducting biological research.

Module “Crystal”

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Crystal module
Dimensions: 2741x883
Type: GIF Figure
Size: 88.8 KB The 4th module (docking and technological, “Crystal”) was launched on May 31, 1990 at 10:33:20 (UTC) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, launch complex No. 200L, by a Proton 8K82K launch vehicle. with accelerating block "DM2". The module housed primarily scientific and technological equipment for studying the processes of obtaining new materials under conditions of weightlessness (microgravity). In addition, two nodes of the androgynous-peripheral type are installed, one of which is connected to the docking compartment, and the other is free. On the outer surface there are two rotating reusable solar batteries (both will be transferred to the Kvant module).

SC type "TsM-T 77KST", ser. No. 17201 was launched into orbit with the following parameters:
orbital inclination - 51.6 degrees;
circulation period - 92.4 minutes;
minimum distance from the Earth's surface (at perigee) - 388 km;
maximum distance from the Earth's surface (at apogee) - 397 km

On June 10, 1990, on the second attempt, Kristall was docked with Mir (the first attempt failed due to the failure of one of the module’s orientation engines). The docking, as before, was carried out to the axial node of the transition compartment, after which the module was transferred to one of the side nodes using its own manipulator.

During the work on the Mir-Shuttle program, this module, which has a peripheral docking unit of the APAS type, was again moved to the axial unit using a manipulator, and solar panels were removed from its body.

The Soviet space shuttles of the Buran family were supposed to dock with the Kristall, but work on them had already been practically curtailed by that time.

The "Crystal" module was intended for testing new technologies, obtaining structural materials, semiconductors and biological products with improved properties under zero-gravity conditions. The androgynous docking unit on the "Crystal" module was intended for docking with reusable spacecraft such as "Buran" and "Shuttle", equipped with androgynous-peripheral docking units. In June 1995, it was used to dock with the USS Atlantis. The docking and technological module "Crystal" was a single sealed compartment of large volume with equipment. On its outer surface there were remote control units, fuel tanks, battery panels with autonomous orientation to the sun, as well as various antennas and sensors. The module was also used as a cargo supply ship to deliver fuel, consumables and equipment into orbit.

The module consisted of two sealed compartments: instrument-cargo and transition-docking. The module had three docking units: an axial active one - on the instrument-cargo compartment and two androgynous-peripheral types - on the transition-docking compartment (axial and lateral). Until May 27, 1995, the "Crystal" module was located on the side docking unit intended for the "Spectrum" module (-Y axis). Then it was transferred to the axial docking unit (-X axis) and on 05/30/1995 moved to its regular place (-Z axis). 06/10/1995 was again transferred to the axial unit (-X axis) to ensure docking with American ship"Atlantis" STS-71, 07/17/1995 returned to its normal location (-Z axis).

Brief characteristics of the module
Registration number 1990-048A / 20635
Start date and time (universal time) 10:33:20. 05/31/1990
Launch site Baikonur, site 200L
Proton-K launch vehicle
Ship weight (kg) 18720

Module “Spectrum”

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Module Spectrum
Dimensions: 1384x888
Type: GIF Figure
Size: 63.0 KB The 5th module (geophysical, “Spectrum”) was launched on May 20, 1995. The module’s equipment made it possible to conduct environmental monitoring of the atmosphere, ocean, earth’s surface, medical biological research etc. To bring the experimental samples to the outer surface, it was planned to install a Pelican copying manipulator, working in conjunction with the airlock chamber. 4 rotating solar panels were installed on the surface of the module.

"SPECTRUM", a research module, was a single sealed compartment of large volume with equipment. On its outer surface there were remote control units, fuel tanks, four battery panels with autonomous orientation to the sun, antennas and sensors.

Manufacturing of the module, which began in 1987, was practically completed (without installing equipment intended for Department of Defense programs) by the end of 1991. However, since March 1992, due to the onset of the economic crisis, the module was “mothballed.”

To complete work on Spectrum in mid-1993, the State Research and Production Space Center named after M.V. Khrunichev and RSC Energia named after S.P. Korolev came up with a proposal to re-equip the module and turned to their foreign partners for this. As a result of negotiations with NASA, a decision was quickly made to install American medical equipment used in the Mir-Shuttle program on the module, as well as to retrofit it with a second pair of solar panels. At the same time, according to the terms of the contract, the completion, preparation and launch of the Spectrum had to be completed before the first docking of the Mir and the Shuttle in the summer of 1995.

Tight deadlines required the specialists of the M.V. Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center to work hard to correct design documentation, manufacture batteries and spacers for their placement, carry out the necessary strength tests, install US equipment and repeat comprehensive module checks. At the same time, RSC Energia specialists were preparing new equipment at Baikonur workplace at MIC orbital ship"Buran" on site 254.

On May 26, on the first attempt, it was docked with the Mir, and then, similar to its predecessors, it was transferred from the axial to the side node, vacated for it by the Kristall.

The Spectrum module was intended for research natural resources Earth, upper layers earth's atmosphere, the own external atmosphere of the orbital complex, geophysical processes of natural and artificial origin in near-Earth space and in the upper layers of the earth's atmosphere, to conduct medical and biological research under the joint Russian-American programs "Mir-Shuttle" and "Mir-NASA", to equip the station with additional sources of electricity.

In addition to the listed tasks, the Spektr module was used as a cargo supply ship and delivered fuel reserves, consumables and optional equipment. The module consisted of two compartments: a sealed instrument-cargo compartment and an unsealed one, on which two main and two additional solar panels and scientific equipment were installed. The module had one active docking unit located along its longitudinal axis on the instrument and cargo compartment. The standard position of the Spektr module as part of the Mir station is the -Y axis. On June 25, 1997, as a result of a collision with the Progress M-34 cargo ship, the Spectr module was depressurized and, practically, “switched off” from the complex’s operation. The unmanned Progress spacecraft went off course and crashed into the Spektr module. The station lost its seal, and the Spectra's solar panels were partially destroyed. The team managed to seal the Spectrum by closing the hatch leading into it before the pressure at the station dropped to critically low levels. The internal volume of the module was isolated from the living compartment.

Brief characteristics of the module
Registration number 1995-024A / 23579
Start date and time (universal time) 03h.33m.22s. 05/20/1995
Proton-K launch vehicle
Ship weight (kg) 17840

Module “Nature”

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Nature module
Dimensions: 1054x986
Type: GIF Figure
Size: 50.4 KB The 7th module (scientific, “Nature”) was launched into orbit on April 23, 1996 and docked on April 26, 1996. This block contains high-precision observation instruments for the earth’s surface in various spectral ranges. The module also included about a ton American equipment to study human behavior during long-term space flight.

Launching the "Nature" module completed the assembly of OK "Mir".

The "Nature" module was intended to conduct scientific research and experiments on the study of the Earth's natural resources, the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere, cosmic radiation, geophysical processes of natural and artificial origin in near-Earth space and the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere.

The module consisted of one sealed instrument and cargo compartment. The module had one active docking unit located along its longitudinal axis. The standard position of the "Nature" module as part of the "Mir" station is the Z axis.

On board the Priroda module, equipment was installed for studying the Earth from space and experiments in the field of materials science. Its main difference from other “cubes” from which “Mir” was built is that “Priroda” was not equipped with its own solar panels. The research module "Nature" was a single sealed compartment of large volume with equipment. On its outer surface there were remote control units, fuel tanks, antennas and sensors. It had no solar panels and used 168 lithium power sources installed internally.

During its creation, the Nature module also underwent significant changes, especially in equipment. A number of devices were installed on it foreign countries, which, under the terms of a number of concluded contracts, quite strictly limited the time frame for its preparation and launch.

At the beginning of 1996, the Priroda module arrived at site 254 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. His intensive four-month pre-launch preparation was not easy. Particularly difficult was the work of finding and eliminating leaks in one of the lithium batteries module capable of emitting very harmful gases (sulfur dioxide and hydrogen chloride). There were also a number of other comments. All of them were eliminated and on April 23, 1996, with the help of Proton-K, the module was successfully launched into orbit.

Before docking with the Mir complex, a failure occurred in the module’s power supply system, depriving it of half its power supply. The inability to recharge the onboard batteries due to the lack of solar panels significantly complicated the docking, giving only one chance to complete it. However, on April 26, 1996, on the first attempt, the module was successfully docked with the complex and, after redocking, occupied the last free side node on the transition compartment of the base unit.

After docking the Priroda module, the Mir orbital complex acquired its full configuration. Its formation, of course, moved more slowly than desired (the launches of the base unit and the fifth module are separated by almost 10 years). But all this time, intensive work was going on on board in manned mode, and the Mir itself was systematically “retrofitted” with smaller elements - trusses, additional batteries, remote controls and various scientific instruments, the delivery of which was successfully ensured by Progress-class cargo ships. .

Brief characteristics of the module
Registration number 1996-023A / 23848
Start date and time (universal time) 11h.48m.50s. 04/23/1996
Launch site Baikonur, site 81L
Proton-K launch vehicle
Ship weight (kg) 18630

Docking module

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Docking Module
Dimensions: 1234x1063
Type: GIF Figure
Size: 47.6 KB The 6th module (docking) was docked on November 15, 1995. This relatively small module was created specifically for docking the Atlantis spacecraft, and was delivered to Mir by the American Space Shuttle.

Docking compartment (SD) (316GK) - was intended to ensure the docking of the Shuttle series MTKS with the Mir spacecraft. The CO was a cylindrical structure with a diameter of about 2.9 m and a length of about 5 m and was equipped with systems that made it possible to ensure the work of the crew and monitor its condition, in particular: support systems temperature regime, television, telemetry, automation, lighting. The space inside the CO allowed the crew to work and place equipment during the delivery of CO to the Mir space station. Additional solar batteries were attached to the surface of the CO, which, after docking it with the Mir spacecraft, were transferred by the crew to the Kvant module, means of capturing CO by the MTKS manipulator of the Shuttle series, and means of ensuring docking. The CO was delivered into the orbit of the MTKS Atlantis (STS-74) and, using its own manipulator and the axial androgynous peripheral docking unit (APAS-2), was docked to the docking unit on the airlock chamber of the MTKS Atlantis, and then, the latter, together with The CO was docked to the docking assembly of the Crystal module (-Z axis) using the androgynous peripheral docking assembly (APAS-1). SO 316GK seemed to extend the “Crystal” module, which made it possible to dock the American MTKS series with the “Mir” spacecraft without redocking the “Crystal” module to the axial docking unit of the base unit (the “-X” axis). power supply for all CO systems was provided from the Mir spacecraft through connectors in the APAS-1 unit.

On March 23, the station was deorbited. At 05:23 Moscow time, the Mir engines were given the order to slow down. At around 6 a.m. GMT, Mir entered the atmosphere several thousand kilometers east of Australia. Most of the 140-ton structure burned up upon re-entry. Only fragments of the station reached the ground. Some were comparable in size to a subcompact car. The fragments of "Mir" fell into Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and Chile. About 1,500 pieces of debris splashed down in an area covering several thousand square kilometers - in a kind of graveyard for Russian spaceships. Since 1978, 85 orbital structures have ended their existence in this region, including several space stations.

Passengers on two planes witnessed the fall of hot debris into ocean waters. Tickets for these unique flights cost up to 10 thousand dollars. Among the spectators were several Russian and American cosmonauts who had previously visited Mir.

Although humanity has abandoned flights to the Moon, it has nevertheless learned to build real “space houses”, which it tells everyone about famous project"Mir station" Today I want to tell you some interesting facts about this space station, which operated for 15 years instead of the planned three years.

96 people visited the station. There were 70 spacewalks with a total duration of 330 hours. The station was called a great achievement of the Russians. We won... if we hadn't lost.

The first 20-ton base module of the Mir station was launched into orbit in February 1986. Mir was supposed to be the embodiment of the eternal dream of science fiction writers about a space village. Initially, the station was built so that more and more modules could be constantly added to it. The launch of "Mir" was timed to coincide with the XXVII Congress of the CPSU.

In June, the Kristall module was delivered into orbit. An additional docking station was installed on it, which, according to the designers, should serve as a gateway for receiving the Buran ship.

This year, the first journalist visited the station - Japanese Toyohiro Akiyama. His live reports were broadcast on Japanese TV. In the first minutes of Toyohiro's stay in orbit, it became clear that he was suffering from "space sickness" - a type of sea sickness. So his flight was not particularly effective. In March of the same year, Mir experienced another shock. It was only by a miracle that we managed to avoid a collision with the Progress space truck. The distance between the devices at some point was only a few meters - and this at a cosmic speed of eight kilometers per second.

In December, a huge “star sail” was deployed on the Progress automatic ship. This is how the Znamya-2 experiment began. Russian scientists hoped that they would be able to illuminate large areas of the earth with the rays of the sun reflected from this sail. However, the eight panels that made up the “sail” did not open completely. Because of this, the area was illuminated much weaker than scientists expected.

In January, the Soyuz TM-17 spacecraft departing from the station collided with the Kristall module. Later it turned out that the cause of the accident was overload: the cosmonauts returning to earth took too many souvenirs from the station with them, and the Soyuz lost control.+

The year is 1995. In February, the American reusable spacecraft Discovery arrived at the Mir station. On board the shuttle was a new docking port for receiving NASA spacecraft. In May, Mir docked with the Spektr module with equipment for studying the Earth from space. Over its short history, Spectrum has experienced several emergency situations and one fatal disaster.

The year is 1996. With the inclusion of the “Nature” module in the complex, the installation of the station was completed. It took ten years - three times longer than Mir's estimated time in orbit.

It became the most difficult year for the entire Mir complex. In 1997, the station almost suffered disaster several times. In January, a fire occurred on board - the cosmonauts were forced to put on breathing masks. The smoke even spread aboard the Soyuz spacecraft. The fire was extinguished a few seconds before the decision to evacuate was made. And in June, the unmanned Progress cargo ship went off course and crashed into the Spektr module. The station has lost its seal. The team managed to block the Spectrum (close the hatch leading into it) before the pressure at the station dropped to a critically low level. In July, Mir was almost left without power supply - one of the crew members accidentally disconnected the cable of the on-board computer, and the station went into an uncontrolled drift. In August, the oxygen generators failed - the crew had to use emergency air reserves. On Earth they began to say that the aging station should be converted to unmanned mode.

In Russia, many did not even want to think about abandoning the operation of Mir. The search for foreign investors began. However, foreign countries were in no hurry to help Mir. In August, the cosmonauts of the 27th expedition transferred the Mir station to unmanned mode. The reason is the lack of government funding.

All eyes were turned this year to the American entrepreneur Walt Andersson. He announced his readiness to invest $20 million in the creation of the MirCorp company, a company that intended to engage in the commercial operation of the station. The management of Rosaviakosmos was confident that it would find the owner of a tight wallet willing to invest money in the famous "World". A sponsor was actually found quickly. A certain wealthy Welshman, Peter Llewellyn, stated that he was ready not only to pay for his trip to Mir and back, but also to allocate an amount sufficient to ensure the operation of the complex in manned mode for a year. That is, at least 200 million dollars. The euphoria from the quick success was so great that the leaders of the Russian space industry did not pay attention to skeptical remarks in the Western press, where Llewellyn was called an adventurer. The press was right. “Tourist” arrived at the Cosmonaut Training Center and began training, although not a penny was ever received into the agency’s account. When Llewellyn was reminded of his obligations, he was offended and left. The adventure ended ingloriously. What happened next is well known. “Mir” was transferred to unmanned mode, the “Mir” Rescue Fund was created, which collected a small amount of donations. Although proposals for its use were very different. There was such a thing - to establish a space sex industry. Some sources indicate that in zero gravity males function fantastically flawlessly. But it never worked out to make the Mir station commercial - the MirCorp project failed miserably due to the lack of customers. It was also not possible to collect money from ordinary Russians - mostly meager transfers from pensioners were transferred to a specially opened account. The Russian government has made an official decision to complete the project. Authorities announced that the Mir would be sunk in the Pacific Ocean in March 2001.

The year is 2001. On March 23, the station was deorbited. At 05:23 Moscow time, the Mir engines were given the order to slow down. At around 6 a.m. GMT, Mir entered the atmosphere several thousand kilometers east of Australia. Most of the 140-ton structure burned up upon re-entry. Only fragments of the station reached the ground. Some were comparable in size to a subcompact car. The fragments of the Mir fell into the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and Chile. About 1,500 pieces of debris splashed down in an area covering several thousand square kilometers - in a kind of graveyard for Russian spaceships. Since 1978, 85 orbital structures have ended their existence in this region, including several space stations. Passengers on two planes witnessed the fall of hot debris into ocean waters. Tickets for these unique flights cost up to 10 thousand dollars. Among the spectators were several Russian and American cosmonauts who had previously visited Mir.

Nowadays, many agree that automata controlled from the Earth are much better than a “living” person in coping with the functions of a space laboratory assistant, signalman, and even a spy. In this sense, the end of the work of the Mir station became a landmark event, designed to mark the end of the next stage of manned orbital astronautics.

There were 15 expeditions working on Mir. 14 - with international crews from the USA, Syria, Bulgaria, Afghanistan, France, Japan, Great Britain, Austria and Germany. During the operation of Mir, an absolute world record was set for the duration of a person's stay in space flight (Valery Polyakov - 438 days). Women's world record duration space flight established by American Shannon Lucid (188 days).

Mir space station(Salyut-8) is the world's first orbital station with a spatial modular design. The beginning of work on the project should be considered 1976, when NPO Energia developed Technical Proposals for the creation of improved orbital stations intended for long-term operation. The launch of the Mir space station took place in February 1986, when the base unit was launched into low-Earth orbit, to which 6 more modules for various purposes were added over the next 10 years. Many records were set at the Mir space station, ranging from the uniqueness and complexity of the design of the station itself, to the length of stay of crews on it. Since 1995, the station has essentially become international. It is visited by international crews, which included cosmonauts from Austria, Afghanistan, Bulgaria, Great Britain, Germany, Canada, Slovakia, Syria, France, and Japan. The spacecraft providing communication between the Mir space station and the Earth were the manned Soyuz and the Progress cargo ship. In addition, the possibility of docking with American spacecraft was provided. According to the Mir-Shuttle program, 7 expeditions were organized on the Atlantis ship and one expedition on the Discovery ship, within which 44 cosmonauts visited the station. In total, at the Mir orbital station in different time There were 104 astronauts from twelve countries. There is no doubt that this project, which was ahead of even the United States in orbital research by a quarter of a century, was a triumph of Soviet cosmonautics.

The Mir orbital station is the world's first modular design

Before the Mir orbital station appeared in space, modularity was used, as a rule, by science fiction writers. Despite the effectiveness of the volumetric modular design, this task was extremely difficult to achieve in practice. After all, the task was not just longitudinal docking (this practice already existed), but docking in the transverse direction. This required complex maneuvers in which docked modules could damage each other, which is fatal in space dangerous phenomenon. But Soviet engineers found a brilliant solution by equipping the docking station with a special manipulator, which ensured the capture of the docked module and smooth docking. The advanced experience of the Mir orbital station was later used in the International Space Station (ISS).

Almost all the modules (except for the docking station) that made up the station were launched into orbit using a Proton launch vehicle. The composition of the Mir space station modules was as follows:

Base unit was delivered into orbit in 1986. Visually, it resembled the Salyut orbital station. Inside the module there was a wardroom, two cabins, a work compartment with communications equipment and a centralized control station. The base module had 6 docking ports, a portable airlock and 3 solar panels.

Module "Quantum" was launched into orbit in March 1987 and docked to the base module in April of the same year. The module included a set of instruments for astrophysical observations and biotechnological experiments.

Module "Kvant-2" was delivered into orbit in November and docked with the station in December 1989. The main purpose of the module was to provide additional comfort to the astronauts. Kvant-2 included life support equipment for the Mir space station. In addition, the module had 2 solar panels with a rotating mechanism.

Module "Crystal" was a docking and technological module. It was launched into orbit in June 1990. Docked to the station in July of the same year. The module had a variety of purposes: research papers in the field of materials science, medical and biological research, astrophysical observations. Distinctive feature The "Crystal" module was equipped with a docking mechanism for ships weighing up to 100 tons. It was planned to dock with the spacecraft as part of the Buran project.

Module "Spectrum" intended for geophysical research. Docked to the Mir orbital station in June 1995. With its help, studies of the earth's surface, ocean and atmosphere were carried out.

Docking module had a narrowly targeted purpose and was intended to be able to dock American reusable spacecraft with the station. The module was delivered by the Atlantis spacecraft and docked in November 1995.

Module "Nature" contained equipment for studying human behavior during long-term flight in space. In addition, the module was used to observe the Earth's surface in various wavelength ranges. It was launched into orbit and docked in April 1996.

Why was the Mir space station flooded?

At the end of the 90s of the 21st century, serious problems began at the station with equipment, which began to fail en masse. As you know, it was decided to decommission the station by flooding it in the ocean. When asked why the Mir space station was flooded, the official answer was related to the unjustified high cost of further use and restoration of the station. However, it later became clear that there were more compelling reasons for such a decision. In particular, the cause of massive equipment breakdowns was mutated microorganisms that settled in a wide variety of places at the station. They then damaged wiring and various equipment. The scale of this phenomenon turned out to be so large that, despite various projects to save the station, it was decided not to take risks, but to destroy it along with its uninvited inhabitants. In March 2001, the Mir station was sunk in the Pacific Ocean.

On February 20, 1986, the first module of the Mir station was launched into orbit, which became long years a symbol of Soviet and then Russian space exploration. It has not existed for more than ten years, but its memory will remain in history. And today we will tell you about the most significant facts and events concerning the Mir orbital station.

Base unit

The base unit BB is the first component of the Mir space station. It was assembled in April 1985, and since May 12, 1985 has been subjected to numerous tests on the assembly stand. As a result, the unit has been significantly improved, especially its on-board cable system.
To replace the still flying OKS Salyut-7, it was launched into orbit by the Proton launch vehicle of the tenth OKS Mir (DOS-7) on February 20, 1986. This "foundation" of the station is similar in size and appearance to the orbital stations of the "series" Salyut", as it is based on the Salyut-6 and Salyut-7 projects. At the same time, there were many fundamental differences, which included more powerful solar panels and advanced computers at that time.
The basis was a sealed working compartment with a central control post and communications equipment. Comfort for the crew was provided by two individual cabins and a common wardroom with a work desk and devices for heating water and food. There was a treadmill and bicycle ergometer nearby. A portable airlock chamber was built into the wall of the housing. On the outer surface of the working compartment there were 2 rotating solar panels and a fixed third one, mounted by the astronauts during the flight. In front of the working compartment there is a sealed transition compartment that can serve as a gateway for access to outer space. It had five docking ports for connection with transport ships and scientific modules. Behind the working compartment there is a leaky aggregate compartment. It contains a propulsion system with fuel tanks. In the middle of the compartment is a sealed transition chamber ending in a docking unit to which the Kvant module was connected during the flight.
The basic module had two engines located in the aft section, which were designed specifically for orbital maneuvers. Each engine was capable of pushing 300 kg. However, after the Kvant-1 module arrived at the station, both engines could not fully function, since the aft port was occupied. Outside the assembly compartment, on a rotating rod, there was a highly directional antenna that provided communication through a relay satellite located in geostationary orbit.
The main purpose of the Basic Module was to provide conditions for the life activities of astronauts on board the station. The astronauts could watch films that were delivered to the station, read books - the station had an extensive library

"Kvant-1"

In the spring of 1987, the Kvant-1 module was launched into orbit. It became a kind of space station for Mir. The docking with Kvant became one of the first emergency situations for Mir. In order to securely attach the Kvant to the complex, the cosmonauts had to make an unplanned spacewalk. Structurally, the module was a single pressurized compartment with two hatches, one of which is a working port for receiving transport ships. Around it there was a complex of astrophysical instruments, mainly for studying X-ray sources inaccessible to observations from Earth. On the outer surface, the astronauts mounted two mounting points for rotating reusable solar panels, as well as a work platform on which large-sized farms were installed. At the end of one of them there was an external propulsion unit (VPU).

The Kvant-1 module was divided into two sections: a laboratory filled with air, and equipment placed in an unpressurized airless space. The laboratory room, in turn, was divided into a compartment for instruments and a living compartment, which were separated by an internal partition. The laboratory compartment was connected to the station premises through an airlock chamber. Voltage stabilizers were located in the section that was not filled with air. The astronaut can monitor the observations from a room inside the module filled with air at atmospheric pressure. This 11-ton module contained astrophysics instruments, life support and altitude control equipment. Quantum also made it possible to conduct biotechnological experiments in the field of antiviral drugs and fractions.

The complex of scientific equipment of the Roentgen observatory was controlled by teams from the Earth, but the operating mode of the scientific instruments was determined by the peculiarities of the functioning of the Mir station. The station's near-Earth orbit was low-apogee (altitude above the earth's surface about 400 km) and practically circular, with an orbital period of 92 minutes. The orbital plane is inclined to the equator by approximately 52°, so twice during the period the station passed through radiation belts - high-latitude regions where the Earth's magnetic field retains charged particles with energies sufficient to be recorded by sensitive detectors of the observatory instruments. Due to the high background they created during the passage of radiation belts, the complex of scientific instruments was always turned off.

Another feature was the rigid connection of the Kvant module with the other blocks of the Mir complex (the astrophysical instruments of the module are directed towards the -Y axis). Therefore, pointing scientific instruments to sources of cosmic radiation was carried out by turning the entire station, as a rule, with the help of electromechanical gyrodynes (gyros). However, the station itself must be oriented in a certain way in relation to the Sun (usually the position is maintained with the -X axis towards the Sun, sometimes with the +X axis), otherwise the energy production from solar panels will decrease. In addition, the station's turns at large angles led to irrational consumption of the working fluid, especially in recent years, when the modules docked to the station gave it significant moments of inertia due to its 10-meter length in a cross-shaped configuration.

In March 1988, the star sensor of the TTM telescope failed, as a result of which information about the pointing of astrophysical instruments during observations ceased to be received. However, this breakdown did not significantly affect the operation of the observatory, since the pointing problem was solved without replacing the sensor. Since all four instruments are rigidly interconnected, the efficiency of the HEXE, PULSAR X-1 and GSPS spectrometers began to be calculated by the location of the source in the field of view of the TTM telescope. The mathematical software for constructing the image and spectra of this device was prepared by young scientists, now doctors of physics and mathematics. Sciences M.R.Gilfanrv and E.M.Churazov. After the launch of the Granat satellite in December 1989, K.N. took over the baton of successful work with the TTM device. Borozdin (now Candidate of Physical and Mathematical Sciences) and his group. The joint work of "Granat" and "Kvant" made it possible to significantly increase the efficiency of astrophysical research, since the scientific tasks of both missions were determined by the Department of High Energy Astrophysics.
In November 1989, the operation of the Kvant module was temporarily interrupted for the period of changing the configuration of the Mir station, when two additional modules were sequentially docked to it with an interval of six months: Kvant-2 and Kristall. Since the end of 1990, regular observations of the Roentgen observatory were resumed, however, due to the increase in the volume of work at the station and more stringent restrictions on its orientation, the average annual number of sessions after 1990 decreased significantly and more than 2 sessions were not carried out in a row, whereas in 1988 - In 1989, up to 8-10 sessions were sometimes organized per day.
The 3rd module (retrofit, “Kvant-2”) was launched into orbit by the Proton launch vehicle on November 26, 1989, 13:01:41 (UTC) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, from launch complex No. 200L. This block is also called the retrofitting module; it contains a significant amount of equipment necessary for the station’s life support systems and creating additional comfort for its inhabitants. The airlock compartment is used as spacesuit storage and as a hangar for the astronaut's autonomous means of transportation.

On December 6, it was docked to the axial docking unit of the transition compartment of the base unit, then, using a manipulator, the module was transferred to the side docking unit of the transition compartment.
Intended to retrofit the Mir station with life support systems for astronauts and increase the power supply of the orbital complex. The module was equipped with motion control systems using power gyroscopes, power supply systems, new installations for oxygen production and water regeneration, household appliances, retrofitting the station with scientific equipment, equipment and providing crew spacewalks, as well as for conducting various scientific research and experiments. The module consisted of three sealed compartments: instrument-cargo, instrument-scientific, and a special airlock with an outward-opening exit hatch with a diameter of 1000 mm.
The module had one active docking unit installed along its longitudinal axis on the instrument and cargo compartment. The Kvant-2 module and all subsequent modules were docked to the axial docking unit of the transition compartment of the base unit (-X axis), then using a manipulator the module was transferred to the side docking unit of the transition compartment. The standard position of the Kvant-2 module as part of the Mir station is the Y axis.

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Module “Crystal”

The 4th module (docking and technological, “Kristall”) was launched on May 31, 1990 at 10:33:20 (UTC) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, launch complex No. 200L, by a Proton 8K82K launch vehicle with a DM2 upper stage. . The module housed primarily scientific and technological equipment for studying the processes of obtaining new materials under conditions of weightlessness (microgravity). In addition, two nodes of the androgynous-peripheral type are installed, one of which is connected to the docking compartment, and the other is free. On the outer surface there are two rotating reusable solar batteries (both will be transferred to the Kvant module).
SC type "TsM-T 77KST", ser. No. 17201 was launched into orbit with the following parameters:
orbital inclination - 51.6 degrees;
circulation period - 92.4 minutes;
minimum distance from the Earth's surface (at perigee) - 388 km;
maximum distance from the Earth's surface (at apogee) - 397 km
On June 10, 1990, on the second attempt, Kristall was docked with Mir (the first attempt failed due to the failure of one of the module’s orientation engines). The docking, as before, was carried out to the axial node of the transition compartment, after which the module was transferred to one of the side nodes using its own manipulator.
During the work on the Mir-Shuttle program, this module, which has a peripheral docking unit of the APAS type, was again moved to the axial unit using a manipulator, and solar panels were removed from its body.
The Soviet space shuttles of the Buran family were supposed to dock with the Kristall, but work on them had already been practically curtailed by that time.
The "Crystal" module was intended for testing new technologies, obtaining structural materials, semiconductors and biological products with improved properties under zero-gravity conditions. The androgynous docking unit on the "Crystal" module was intended for docking with reusable spacecraft such as "Buran" and "Shuttle", equipped with androgynous-peripheral docking units. In June 1995, it was used to dock with the USS Atlantis. The docking and technological module "Crystal" was a single sealed compartment of large volume with equipment. On its outer surface there were remote control units, fuel tanks, battery panels with autonomous orientation to the sun, as well as various antennas and sensors. The module was also used as a cargo supply ship to deliver fuel, consumables and equipment into orbit.
The module consisted of two sealed compartments: instrument-cargo and transition-docking. The module had three docking units: an axial active one - on the instrument-cargo compartment and two androgynous-peripheral types - on the transition-docking compartment (axial and lateral). Until May 27, 1995, the "Crystal" module was located on the side docking unit intended for the "Spectrum" module (-Y axis). Then it was transferred to the axial docking unit (-X axis) and on 05/30/1995 moved to its regular place (-Z axis). On 06/10/1995 it was again transferred to the axial unit (-X axis) to ensure docking with the American spacecraft Atlantis STS-71, on 07/17/1995 it was returned to its normal position (-Z axis).

Module “Spectrum”

The 5th module (geophysical, “Spectrum”) was launched on May 20, 1995. The module’s equipment made it possible to conduct environmental monitoring of the atmosphere, ocean, earth’s surface, medical and biological research, etc. To bring experimental samples to the outer surface, it was planned to install a Pelican copying manipulator, working in conjunction with an airlock chamber. 4 rotating solar panels were installed on the surface of the module.
"SPECTRUM", a research module, was a single sealed compartment of large volume with equipment. On its outer surface there were remote control units, fuel tanks, four battery panels with autonomous orientation to the sun, antennas and sensors.
Manufacturing of the module, which began in 1987, was practically completed (without installing equipment intended for Department of Defense programs) by the end of 1991. However, since March 1992, due to the onset of the economic crisis, the module was “mothballed.”
To complete work on Spectrum in mid-1993, the State Research and Production Space Center named after M.V. Khrunichev and RSC Energia named after S.P. Korolev came up with a proposal to re-equip the module and turned to their foreign partners for this. As a result of negotiations with NASA, a decision was quickly made to install American medical equipment used in the Mir-Shuttle program on the module, as well as to retrofit it with a second pair of solar panels. At the same time, according to the terms of the contract, the completion, preparation and launch of the Spectrum had to be completed before the first docking of the Mir and the Shuttle in the summer of 1995.
Tight deadlines required the specialists of the M.V. Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center to work hard to correct design documentation, manufacture batteries and spacers for their placement, carry out the necessary strength tests, install US equipment and repeat comprehensive module checks. At the same time, RSC Energia specialists were preparing a new workplace at Baikonur in the MIC of the Buran orbital ship at site 254.
On May 26, on the first attempt, it was docked with the Mir, and then, similar to its predecessors, it was transferred from the axial to the side node, vacated for it by the Kristall.
The "Spectrum" module was intended to conduct research on the Earth's natural resources, the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere, the orbital complex's own external atmosphere, geophysical processes of natural and artificial origin in near-Earth space and in the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere, to conduct medical and biological research in joint Russian- American programs "Mir-Shuttle" and "Mir-NASA", to equip the station with additional sources of electricity.
In addition to the listed tasks, the Spektr module was used as a cargo supply ship and delivered fuel reserves, consumables and additional equipment to the Mir orbital complex. The module consisted of two compartments: a sealed instrument-cargo compartment and an unsealed one, on which two main and two additional solar panels and scientific equipment were installed. The module had one active docking unit located along its longitudinal axis on the instrument and cargo compartment. The standard position of the Spektr module as part of the Mir station is the -Y axis. On June 25, 1997, as a result of a collision with the Progress M-34 cargo ship, the Spectr module was depressurized and, practically, “switched off” from the complex’s operation. The unmanned Progress spacecraft went off course and crashed into the Spektr module. The station lost its seal, and the Spectra's solar panels were partially destroyed. The team managed to seal the Spectrum by closing the hatch leading into it before the pressure at the station dropped to critically low levels. The internal volume of the module was isolated from the living compartment.

Brief characteristics of the module
Registration number 1995-024A / 23579
Start date and time (universal time) 03h.33m.22s. 05/20/1995
Proton-K launch vehicle
Ship weight (kg) 17840

Docking module

The 6th module (docking) was docked on November 15, 1995. This relatively small module was created specifically for docking the Atlantis spacecraft, and was delivered to Mir by the American Space Shuttle.
Docking compartment (SD) (316GK) - was intended to ensure the docking of the Shuttle series MTKS with the Mir spacecraft. The CO was a cylindrical structure with a diameter of about 2.9 m and a length of about 5 m and was equipped with systems that made it possible to ensure the work of the crew and monitor its condition, in particular: systems for providing temperature control, television, telemetry, automation, and lighting. The space inside the CO allowed the crew to work and place equipment during the delivery of CO to the Mir space station. Additional solar batteries were attached to the surface of the CO, which, after docking it with the Mir spacecraft, were transferred by the crew to the Kvant module, means of capturing CO by the MTKS manipulator of the Shuttle series, and means of ensuring docking. The CO was delivered into the orbit of the MTKS Atlantis (STS-74) and, using its own manipulator and the axial androgynous peripheral docking unit (APAS-2), was docked to the docking unit on the airlock chamber of the MTKS Atlantis, and then, the latter, together with The CO was docked to the docking assembly of the Crystal module (-Z axis) using the androgynous peripheral docking assembly (APAS-1). SO 316GK seemed to extend the “Crystal” module, which made it possible to dock the American MTKS series with the “Mir” spacecraft without redocking the “Crystal” module to the axial docking unit of the base unit (the “-X” axis). power supply for all CO systems was provided from the Mir spacecraft through connectors in the APAS-1 unit.

Module “Nature”

The 7th module (scientific, “Priroda”) was launched into orbit on April 23, 1996 and docked on April 26, 1996. This block contains high-precision observation instruments for the earth’s surface in various spectral ranges. The module also included about a ton of American equipment for studying human behavior during long-term space flight.
Launching the "Nature" module completed the assembly of OK "Mir".
The "Nature" module was intended to conduct scientific research and experiments on the study of the Earth's natural resources, the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere, cosmic radiation, geophysical processes of natural and artificial origin in near-Earth space and the upper layers of the Earth's atmosphere.
The module consisted of one sealed instrument and cargo compartment. The module had one active docking unit located along its longitudinal axis. The standard position of the "Nature" module as part of the "Mir" station is the Z axis.
On board the Priroda module, equipment was installed for studying the Earth from space and experiments in the field of materials science. Its main difference from other “cubes” from which “Mir” was built is that “Priroda” was not equipped with its own solar panels. The research module "Nature" was a single sealed compartment of large volume with equipment. On its outer surface there were remote control units, fuel tanks, antennas and sensors. It had no solar panels and used 168 lithium power sources installed internally.
During its creation, the Nature module also underwent significant changes, especially in equipment. It was equipped with instruments from a number of foreign countries, which, under the terms of a number of concluded contracts, quite strictly limited the time frame for its preparation and launch.
At the beginning of 1996, the Priroda module arrived at site 254 of the Baikonur Cosmodrome. His intensive four-month pre-launch preparation was not easy. Particularly difficult was the work of finding and eliminating a leak in one of the module’s lithium batteries, which could emit very harmful gases (sulfur dioxide and hydrogen chloride). There were also a number of other comments. All of them were eliminated and on April 23, 1996, with the help of Proton-K, the module was successfully launched into orbit.
Before docking with the Mir complex, a failure occurred in the module’s power supply system, depriving it of half its power supply. The inability to recharge the onboard batteries due to the lack of solar panels significantly complicated the docking, giving only one chance to complete it. However, on April 26, 1996, on the first attempt, the module was successfully docked with the complex and, after redocking, occupied the last free side node on the transition compartment of the base unit.
After docking the Priroda module, the Mir orbital complex acquired its full configuration. Its formation, of course, moved more slowly than desired (the launches of the base unit and the fifth module are separated by almost 10 years). But all this time, intensive work was going on on board in manned mode, and the Mir itself was systematically “retrofitted” with smaller elements - trusses, additional batteries, remote controls and various scientific instruments, the delivery of which was successfully ensured by Progress-class cargo ships. .