S.P. Korolev Rocket and Space Corporation Energia was the
Prime Contractor for MIR Orbital Station, developer of the
Core Module and the Station Modules, developer and manufacturer
of the major systems supporting their on-orbit operation;
responsible for the integrated electrical interface of the
onboard systems and integrated ground electrical tests of
the Station Modules; developer and manufacturer of the Soyuz
and Progress space vehicles.
M.V. Khrunichev State Space Scientific-Production Center
was a participant in the Core Module and Modules development;
developer and manufacturer of the structure and systems
providing the station Modules autonomous flight.
A broad nerwork of enterprises and organizations, including
GNP RKTS TSSKB-Progress; TSNII Machine-building, Design
Bureau of General Machine-building; RNII of Space Instrument
Engineering; NII of Precise Instruments; Yu.A. Gagarin RGNII
CTC; the Russian Academy of Sciences and others, about 200
enterprises and organizations in all took part in the development
of Mir space station and its ground infrastructure.
Station Element |
Launch Date |
Docking Date |
Core Module |
20 February 1986 |
- |
Kvant Module |
31 March 1987 |
09 April 1987 |
Kvant-2 Module |
26 November 1989 |
06 December 1989 |
Kristall Module |
31 May 1990 |
10 June1990 |
Spektr Module |
20 May 1995 |
01 June 1995 |
Docking Compartment |
12 November 1995 |
15 November 1995 |
Priroda Module |
23 April 1996 |
26 April 1996 |
Transport and maintenance support of the
Station flight was provided by the Soyuz-TM-type manned
transport and Progress-M cargo vehicles. |
GENERAL MIR COMPLEX CHARACTERISTICS
|
Altitude of Working Orbit |
320 - 420 km |
Orbit Inclination |
51.6 degree |
Operation Duration |
more than 15 years |
February 20, 1986 -
Core Module Launch |
|
Core Module was a
major part of the entire Orbital Station combining its
modules into a single complex. The core module accommodated
control equipment for the station crew life support
systems and science hardware, as well as crew rest locations.
The core module consisted of the transfer compartment
with five passive docking assemblies (one axial and
four side assemblies), working compartment, transfer
chamber with one docking assembly, and unpressurized
instrument compartment. All docking assemblies were
of a passive type of a "probe-drogue" system. |
April 9, 1987 -
Module Kvant docking
to the Core Module |
Module Kvant was
intended to conduct astrophysical and other scientific
research and experiments. The module consisted of a
laboratory compartment with a transfer chamber and unpressurized
compartment for science instruments. The module on-orbit
maneuvering was provided by the service propulsion compartment,
that separated after the module docking to the Station.
The module had two docking assemblies located along
its longitudinal axis, namely active and passive ones.
In a free flight the passive assembly was closed by
the service compartment. The Kvant module docked to
the transfer chamber of the core module (X axis). After
the mechanical capture the retraction process was aborted
due to a foreign object discovered in the Station docking
cone. The crew egress into space was needed to take
away the object, which took place on April 11th to April
12th 1986. |
December 6, 1989 -
Kvant 2 Module docking
to the MIR Orbital Station |
Kvant 2 Module was
intended to resupply the Station with science hardware,
equipment and support crew spacewalks, as well as perform
various scientific research and experiments. The module
consisted of three pressurized compartments, i.e. instrument-cargo,
instrument-science compartments and dedicated airlock
compartment with an egress hatch of 1000 mm in diameter
that swung outward. The module had one active docking
assembly installed along its longitudinal axis on the
instrument-cargo compartment. The Kvant-2 and all subsequent
modules docked to the axial docking assembly of the
core module transfer compartment (-X axis), then the
module was relocated by the manipulator to the side
docking assembly of the transfer compartment. The nominal
location of Kvant-2 within Mir was along -Y axis. |
June 10, 1990 -
Kristall module docking
to the MIR Orbital Station |
Kristall module was
intended to conduct technological and other scientific
research and experiments to support dockings with the
vehicles outfitted with androgynous peripheral docking
assemblies. The module consisted of two pressurized
compartments, i.e. instrument-cargo and transfer-docking
compartments. The module had three docking assemblies,
i.e. axial active assembly on the instrument-cargo compartment
and two androgynous peripheral docking assemblies on
the transfer-docking compartment (axial and lateral).
Till May 27, 1995 the Kristall module was mated to the
lateral docking assembly designed for the Spektr module
(-Y axis). Then it was relocated to the axial docking
assembly (-X axis) and on May 30, 1995 was relocated
to its nominal location (-Z axis). On June 10, 1995
the module was once again relocated to the axial assembly
(-X axis) to provide docking with the Atlantis Orbiter
(STS-71), and on July 17, 1995 it was returned to its
nominal location (-Z axis). |
June 1, 1995 -
Spektr module docking
to the MIR Orbital Station |
Spektr module
was intended to conduct scientific research and experiments
to investigate Earth resources, proper external atmosphere
of the orbital complex, geophysical processes of a natural
and artificial origin in a near-earth space and in the
upper Earth atmosphere, as well as resupply the station
with additional electric power supplies. The module
consisted of two compartments, i.e. pressurized instrument-cargo
and unpressurized compartment, on which two major and
two additional solar arrays and science instruments
were mounted. The module had one active docking assembly,
located along its longitudinal axis on the instrument-cargo
compartment. The nominal position of the Spektr module
as part of the MIR Station was along the -Y axis.
Docking Compartment (developed at S.P. Korolev RSC
Energia) was intended to support dockings of the U.S.
Space Shuttle Orbiters to the MIR Station without modifying
its configuration. It was delivered to orbit by the
U.S. Atlantis Orbiter (STS-74) and docked to the Kristall
module (- Z axis). |
|
April 26, 1996 -
Priroda module was docked
to the MIR Orbital Station. |
Priroda module was
intended to conduct science research and experiments
to investigate Earth resources, upper Earth atmosphere,
space radiation, geophysical processes of a natural
and artificial origin in a near-earth space and in the
upper Earth atmosphere. The module consisted of one
pressurized instrument-cargo compartment. The module
had one active docking assembly located along its longitudinal
axis. The nominal location of the Priroda module within
the MIR Station was along the -Z axis. |
MIR configuration assumed its final form
in 1996.
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