New Mir troubles: overworked crew, sweltering heat

Mir

March 19, 1998
Web posted at: 1:52 p.m. EDT (1352 GMT)

From Correspondent John Holliman

(CNN) -- Russia's aging Mir space station is having more problems than managers at Misson Control outside Moscow are willing to talk about, CNN has learned.

Temperatures in parts of the space station rose to 95 degrees in recent weeks, and even with the installation of a new air conditioner, the temperature remains an uncomfortable 82 degrees for crew members, who the commander says are being overworked.

For NASA astronaut Andy Thomas, who is beginning his eighth week on Mir, work on an experiment to grow human cancer cells has been slowed by the high temperatures and equipment malfunctions in his laboratory on Mir's Piroda module.

In a radio call to ground managers, Thomas complained that he had spent all his free time trying to get the experiment to work properly. "I can't understand some of the basic mechanics of the cell's growth, which is clearly very important," he told mission managers. "That's the aim of the experiment."

Bumpy docking, too little sleep

Among other Mir troubles: Mir's commander told ground controllers that there is entirely too much work for the crew. In a radio message monitored a week ago, commander Talgut Musabayev told Moscow mission control that nobody was getting enough sleep and the result has been many human mistakes in keeping the space station operating.

And there was a problem with a Progress supply ship launched to Mir last weekend. When it docked Monday night, the Mir crew was forced to switch to manual control in the final seconds before docking, which was supposed to have been automatic.

Thomas

Astronaut Andy Thomas told a TV interviewer on Wednesday that the docking appeared normal to him. He said Mir shuddered as the Progress touched Mir and latches sealed the two ships together.

But Russian controllers have been extremely cautious about supply-ship dockings ever since a last-minute change in procedures last June caused another Progress supply ship to crash into Mir, severely damaging it and causing a leak in one module that still hasn't been fixed.

Meanwhile, Thomas is not complaining publicly, but privately he's upset that Moscow can't seem to send him e-mail from family and friends on time. He has had to wait more than a month for electronic mail from Earth. For the Australian-born Thomas, the first eight weeks on Mir have at times left him feeling isolated and lonely.

· MIR MAIN PAGE · RELATED SITES · HISTORY · TIMELINE

· GALLERY · SOYUZ · CREW · REPAIR MISSION

Related stories:

• The View from Space: If at first you don't succeed - March 17, 1998
• Supply ship carrying needed tools docks with Mir - March 16, 1998
• Last American on Mir adjusting to life in space - February 10, 1998
• Shuttle to undock, make way for Russian rendezvous with Mir - January 29, 1998

---

 

---

Sound off on our message boards & chat

© 1998 Cable News Network, Inc.
A Time Warner Company
All Rights Reserved.

Terms under which this service is provided to you.
Read our privacy guidelines.