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In Russian, the word ‘Mir’, means both
peace and world. This was the name chosen for a space station
launched by Russia in 1986. Actually what went into space in
1986 was only the core model; many additions were made to it
later on. The number of modules finally reached seven. The
result was a permanently manned orbiting laboratory in space.
This made the Mir the first modular spacecraft assembled while
in orbit.
Salyut’s shortcomings overcome by
Mir
The predecessors of Mir were the Salyut space stations. These
were launched through 1971 to 1982 and there were seven of them.
Each one improved upon the preceding one and finally the Mir was
better than Salyut 7. Where Salyut 7 had just two docking ports
Mir had seven, thus providing that much more facilities for its
crew members to carry on their work. The docking ports were constructed in such
a manner that they could accommodate cargo ferries and manned
spacecraft carrying crew members to relieve those in space. The
modules could also be expanded and equipped to function as
research areas for certain specialized tasks. |
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A brief life story
The core model of space station Mir was launched on February 20, 1986. It was up
there by itself until March 13, 1986, when its first occupants
cosmonauts Leonid Kizim and Vladimir Solovyev boarded it. They spent
53 days there, bringing the spacecraft into working order. Then they
left Mir on a Soyuz craft and boarded the still orbiting Salyut 7
station.
History was written in the process – they were the first cosmonauts
to transfer from one orbiting space station to another orbiting
space station. The longest time spent on Mir was by Valery Polyakov
who stayed in Mir for 438 days. |
Mir Space Station |
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The first module an astrophysics observatory was added to the Mir in
March 1987. The next module, a service module, was added in 1989. It
gave the cosmonauts access to luxuries like a shower, sink, etc. It
also enabled them to go for ‘spacewalks’ and perform any essential
outside maintenance work. The next module added in May 1990 was a
technology module and contained a lot of equipment like furnaces
etc. it also had a docking port. The science module added in May
1995 contained remote sensing equipment for studying the earth’s
atmosphere. April 1996 saw the final addition being made to Mir, a
science module with equipment to study the earth’s ecology and
environment. Advancing age showed its signs on and off, with a
series of accidents and failures. Mir, however, continued in
service.
Interesting ‘bits’ from Mir in orbit
The Mir space station has completed 83,500 trips around the earth
during the fourteen years it spent in orbit. It has played host to
160 cosmonauts and astronauts from several countries. Two or even
three cosmonauts were always present on the station and the station
has at times hosted up to six cosmonauts for a short duration.
Several scientific and technical experiments have been performed by
the scientists who have visited Mir. The topics of study have ranged
from space life sciences, space technology, earth observation,
microgravity and so on.
Earth bound at last
March 23, 2001 was decided as the day for the final journey to be
made by Mir. Remnants of Mir plunged into a remote part of the
Pacific Ocean, giving a spectacular display of a huge smoke trail
over Fiji. A couple of sonic booms were also reportedly heard. Parts
of the spacecraft, an estimated two thirds of it, burned on reentry
and the rest scattered as debris into the ocean. The giant 136-ton
structure was Russia’s pride when it was aloft. By outliving its
utility, it also proved their expertise in technology, which was
further reinforced by the fact of their having brought it to a
precise end. The mission ended on a triumphant note. |
