Between March 1995 and May 1998, NASA and Russian scientists will conduct experiments on space station Mir. Mir has come to be known as our science laboratory in space. NASA-Mir scientists seek to answer vital questions about how humans, animals and plants function in space, how our solar system originated and developed, how we can build better technology in space, and how we can build future space stations.
New era for Space Shuttle program: A new era in U.S.-Russian cooperation was born on July 1995 as the Space Shuttle Atlantis successfully docked with Mir, opening the way for multinational efforts to explore and develop space. On that morning, Atlantis commander Robert ΓÇ£HootΓÇ¥ Gibson brought the 100-ton spacecraft into contact with the 123-ton space station. The docking adapter on the Shuttle immediately latched onto the airlock of the space station and automatically pulled the spacecraft together, creating a hard seal.
ΓÇ£We have capture,ΓÇ¥ Gibson said as the two spacecraft mated 240 miles above central Asia. His call was echoed by Mir commander Vladimir Dezhurov when he told Russian controllers, ΓÇ£Podtverzhdayu zakhvatΓÇ¥, or, ΓÇ£I confirm capture.ΓÇ¥
Accident in space: On June 25, 1997, a cargo vessel crashed into the Spektr Module of Mir. The collision occurred during the testing of a new guidance system. The Spektr Module is the primary electricity generating module, housing many experiments from scientists in the United States.
The collision with the cargo vessel created a hole in Spektr which resulted in a drop in air pressure aboard Mir. The crew sealed the module off from the rest of the space station. Half of of MirΓÇÖs electrical power was lost at the time of the incident. Power has since been restored to the other modules. Repairs are being made continuously to Mir while conducting the experiments scheduled on board.
