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-DMAspacesuits.[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 ShuttleAtlantis.[2]
† denotes EVAs performed from the core module's docking node.
‡ denotes EVAs performed from the airlock of the Space ShuttleAtlantis.
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.
Inspected the rear port of the core module following the failure of Kvant-1 to achieve a successful hard docking on 9 April and discovered a piece of debris left behind following the departure of Progress 28 on 27 March. This was removed, and the subsequent hard docking of the new module was observed.[1][2][5]
Installed the second part of the new solar array on the core module, installed the array's power cables and affixed sample exposure cassettes to the exterior of the station.[1][2][5]
Replaced a segment of the core module's dorsal solar array with a new one which produced telemetry to allow the gradual degradation in the efficiency of the array to be monitored and inspected the exterior of the station.[1][2][5]
Began repair of an X-ray telescope on Kvant-1 by opening the thermal insulation covering it and exposing the part requiring replacement. Repair was halted after the tool designed to remove the failed part from the telescope broke.[1][2][5]
Retrieved the Echantillon cassette, dismantled the Era mount, installed exposure cassettes on the exterior of the station and reconfigured the docking apparatus in the core module's docking node in preparation for the arrival of Kristall.[1][2][5]
First EVA from Kvant-2's airlock. Affixed a mount just outside the airlock for the Ikarcosmonaut manoeuvring unit, dismantled the module's now redundant Kurs antenna, installed exposure cassettes and erected Kvant-2's scan platform.[1][2][5]
Conducted repairs to the insulation of the damaged Soyuz TM-9. Found that the airlock hatch was damaged and would not shut when the EVA was concluded, so the back-up secondary airlock in Kvant-2 was used.[1][2][5]
Inspected airlock hatch, stowed equipment used during the repair of Soyuz TM-9 on the previous EVA, and managed, with a great deal of manual effort, to close the damaged airlock hatch.[1][2][5]
Conducted successful repair of Kvant-2's airlock hatch, affixed a mount onto the core module, retrieved exposure cassettes and removed a camera from Kvant-2's scan platform.[1][2][5]
Inspected a faulty Kurs antenna on Kvant-1, retrieved exposure cassettes, replaced the camera removed on their first EVA from Kvant-2's scan platform and tested a prototype thermomechanical joint near the airlock.[1][2][5]
First EVA conducted following the collapse of the USSR. Retrieved the work platform installed on Kvant-1 prior to the construction of the Sofora truss, cleaned a TV camera lens on Kvant-1, retrieved the telemetered panel from the core module'sdorsalsolar array and retrieved exposure cassettes from around Kvant-2's airlock. During the initial stages of the EVA, the heat exchanger in Volkov's spacesuit failed and he relied on an umbilical from Kvant-2 for life support for the rest of the EVA.[1][2][5]
Configured the VDU thruster for installation, installed the thruster's umbilical on the Sofora truss and removed the Soviet flag from the truss.[1][2][5]
Completed the video recording of the condition of the station's exterior, inspected the base of the Sofora truss and retrieved exposure cassettes.[1][2][5]
Inspected the front port of the core module following a collision with Progress M-24 and the exterior of Kristall following a collision with Soyuz TM-17. Affixed a mount to the core module to install a second Strela crane, and installed exposure cassettes.[1][2][5]
Released the previously retracted solar array on Kristall, transferred it to Kvant-1 and attached it to the previously installed motor and mount on the left side of the module.[1][2][5][7]
Completed the installation of the solar array moved on the previous EVA, and partially retracted the remaining array on Kristall (the array could not be fully retracted as it jammed during the procedure).[1][2][5][7]
Inspected a faulty solar array on Kvant-2, discovering that it had been fouled by EVA equipment. Released a jammed solar array on Spektr and inspected the right-side docking port on the core module's docking node.[1][2][5][7]
Prepared for the deployment of the Mir Infrared Spectrometer (MIRAS), retrieved exposure cassettes and the TREK cosmic-ray detector and installed new exposure cassettes. The cooling system in Solovyov's spacesuit failed almost immediately, and so he spent most of the EVA reliant on an umbilical from Kvant-2 for life support. Upon their return, difficulties were encountered again with the airlock hatch.[1][2][5][7]
Dismantled the Rapanatruss on Kvant-1 and erected the Strombus truss in its place, then completed the deployment of the TRAVERS radar antenna on Priroda following the failure of its automatic deployment mechanism.[1][2][5][7]
Began installation of cables to connect the Mir Cooperative Solar Array (MCSA) into the station's electrical system and redeployed the Rapanatruss dismantled on the previous EVA on the far end of the Strombus truss.[1][2][5]
Retrieved the Particle Impact Experiment (PIE) and Mir Sample Return Experiment (MSRE) packages, deployed the Advanced Materials Exposure Experiment (AMEE) and tested the Orlan-Mspacesuit.[1][2][5][9][10]
First 'IVA' into Spektr following the module's depressurisation after the Progress M-34 collision. Installed a modified Konus drogue in the core module's docking node and wired it up to connect the module's solar arrays to the station's electrical system. Inspected the interior of Spektr and retrieved equipment from the module.[1][2][5]
Attempted to conduct an EVA to prepare for the repair of the damaged solar array on Spektr, but were unable to open the hatch and were forced to postpone the EVA.[2][5]
Final EVA to be conducted at Mir. Tested a sealant dispenser by sealing cracks on the exterior of the station, inspected the Mir Cooperative Solar Array (MCSA), dismantled a solar battery, photographed the station's exterior and retrieved experiments.[1][2][6]
^Linenger, Jerry (1 January 2001). Off the Planet: Surviving Five Perilous Months Aboard the Space Station Mir. New York, USA: McGraw-Hill. ISBN978-0-07-137230-5.
^ abBurrough, Bryan (7 January 1998). Dragonfly: NASA and the Crisis Aboard Mir. London, UK: Fourth Estate Ltd. ISBN978-1-84115-087-1.
