|
U.S. astronaut nears end of stay on Mir
May 13, 1997
Web posted at: 11:32 p.m. EDT (2332 GMT)From Correspondent John Zarrella
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Florida (CNN) -- Like an inmate waiting for parole, U.S. astronaut Jerry Linenger is counting down the days.
He has been on the glitch-plagued Mir space station for four months. In just a few days, he is to be replaced by astronaut Mike Foale.
NASA approved a four-month stay aboard Mir for Foale after repairs were made to the station's life-support systems. The British-born astrophysicist will be the fourth American citizen to live on Mir.
(928K/24 sec. QuickTime movie)
NASA senior managers insist they wouldn't be sending Foale if Mir were unsafe.
"MIR is OK and should remain habitable for the next few months," said Frank Culbertson, Shuttle-Mir program director.
The last few months aboard Mir have been less than comfortable for Linenger and his two Russian cosmonaut colleagues.
In February, a fire was extinguished in an oxygen generator. The cooling system broke down after springing leaks, and the system that cleans carbon dioxide from the air had to be shut down.
Russian space officials say the problems are to be expected in a 12-year-old craft.
"This is quite normal. We get older and the hardware gets older," Valery Ryumin of the Russian Space Agency said.
NASA said on Tuesday there were no apparent obstacles to an on-time launch for the space shuttle Atlantis, which will resupply Mir and bring Linenger home.
"I'm happy to say everything is going smoothly so far," shuttle test director John Guidi told a news conference, adding that controllers had not detected any technical problems and the weather looked favorable for a blastoff before dawn on Thursday.
Forecasters gave the shuttle an 80 percent chance of fair weather for launch during a short seven-minute launch window that opens at 4:08 a.m. EDT (0808 GMT).
The hardware on board includes a new oxygen-generating system loaded now in Atlantis's cargo bay.
The Russians and NASA want this mission to resolve Mir's problems, and members of the U.S. Congress who control NASA's purse strings are watching.
"We're continuing to monitor it very closely. And I think if there are any continuing, ongoing problems functionally, mechanically with Mir, we would have to consider pulling out of the program," said Rep. Dave Weldon, R-Florida.
The Russians say the difficulties on Mir were never as serious as originally reported. NASA managers apparently agree.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Special section:
CNN Interactive's extended coverage
Related stories:
- NASA to put another U.S.astronaut aboard troubled Mir - May 2, 1997
- NASA struggles to finish space station with Russians - Apr. 18, 1997
- Supplies, repair kits reach Mir - Apr. 8, 1997
- Russia launches supply rocket for Mir - April 6, 1997
- Orbiting Russian, U.S. spacecrafts beset by glitches - April 5, 1997
- Space station crew waits for supply ship - April 5, 1997
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser windowExternal sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.
Watch these shows on CNN for more sci-tech stories:
CNN Computer Connection | Future Watch | Science & Technology Week
Sound off on our message boards
Tell us what you think!
You said it...
© 1997 Cable News Network, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.