RUSSIA/IN SPACE: TWO RUSSIAN COSMONAUTS BEGIN SPACEWALK TO LOOK FOR LEAKS IN MIR SPACE STATION

Record ID: 646404

  • Title: RUSSIA/IN SPACE: TWO RUSSIAN COSMONAUTS BEGIN SPACEWALK TO LOOK FOR LEAKS IN MIR SPACE STATION
  • Date: 23rd July 1999
  • Summary: KOROLYOV, RUSSIA (JULY 23, 1999) (REUTERS (A) 1. HAS INTERIOR HALL OF MISSION CONTROL/ENGINEERS AT COMPUTERS (2 SHOTS) 0.09 2. HAS MODEL OF MIR ON DESK NEAR CONTROLLERS (2 SHOTS) 0.20 3. MV DEPUTY FLIGHT DIRECTOR VICTOR BLAGOV AND OTHER MISSION CONTROL OFFICIALS DURING PRESS CONFERENCE 0.25 4. MV MEDIA 0.29 5. SCU TV SCREEN WITH NEW ANTENNA UNFOLDING 0.36 6. (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) VICTOR BLAGOV, DEPUTY FLIGHT DIRECTOR SAYING "The leakage is above the allowable limit. The process is not developing for the worse. The leakage is one mm in twenty four hours. The fuel that we have on the station now will be enough for three-four months, even if we don't do anything. There are measures we can take such as shutting hatches, checking depressurised areas. Either we'll completely get rid of the leak, or make it smaller." 1.00 7. HAS ENGINEERS LOOKING AT THE MODEL OF MIR SPACE STATION 1.08 IN SPACE (JULY 23, 1999) (RUSSIAN SPACE AGENCY) 8. SLV COSMONAUTS VICTOR AFANASYEV AND SERGEY AVDEYEV IN SPACE INSTALLING A NEW ANTENNA (3 SHOTS) 1.53 9. HAS MISSION CONTROL 1.57 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 7th August 1999 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: KOROLYOV, RUSSIA AND IN SPACE
  • City:
  • Country: SPACE Russia
  • Reuters ID: LVADD8DYPWBMDNWXAYQWSLQNANPD
  • Story Text: Two Russian cosmonauts have begun their spacewalk to
    look for leaks that were slowly causing a loss of pressure in
    orbiting space station Mir


    Cosmonauts Viktor Afanasyev and Sergei Avdeyev opened the hatch
    from the seven-module station at 1115 GMT on Friday (July 23) and spent
    nearly six hours outside the orbiting station Mir.Frenchman
    Jean-Pierre Haignere remained inside Mir.

    Afanasyev and Avdeyev concentrated on finding the source of
    the leak that was slowly causing a loss of pressure in Mir.

    Mission Control detected a pressure leak in late June but
    has been unable to determine the source of the problem.

    Officials at Korolyov outside Moscow have said the problem
    causes no immediate risks but could eventually curtail the
    ability of a crew to live on Mir.They said if the leak
    continued unabated for three months the station would become
    uninhabitable.

    During the spacewalk, Afanasyev and Avdeyev also installed
    an new antenna.They were expected to make another spacewalk
    likely to be the last in Mir's history -- later this month.

    Russian officials have given growing signs that they are
    willing to retire Mir after repeated delays.Mir's crew is
    scheduled to return to Earth on August 28, leaving the station
    unmanned as Russia continues making final efforts to raise
    funding to keep it in orbit.

    If the fund-raising efforts fail Russia will probably
    bring down Mir in early 2000, at about the same time as the
    first crew is scheduled to begin living on the new
    International Space Station.


  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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