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Debate brews: Should Mir project continue?
June 26, 1997
Web posted at: 4:25 p.m. EDT (2025 GMT)(CNN) -- The crew of the Russian space station Mir is running on minimal power while it tries to recover from damage sustained in Wednesday's crash with a cargo vessel. Given the problems the space station has seen since February -- a fire, an oxygen supply failure and a faulty air purifier -- some wonder if it might be time to pull the plug on Mir altogether.
Sen. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wisconsin, echoed the sentiments of many when he said, "We have to make a determination if the science is worth it to put more American lives at risk."
And Apollo 13 commander Jim Lovell, whose space mishaps formed the basis of the blockbuster movie "Apollo 13," made an argument that the science is not worth it.
"I think the time has come where the risks aren't worth the rewards. We have learned as much as we can from utilizing the Mir," he said, suggesting that Mir be retired in a dignified manner while the Russian space agency and NASA proceed with the international space station.
NASA administrator Daniel Goldin is considering a congressional request to issue a written guarantee that Mir is safe by U.S. standards. Meanwhile, managers at the space agency are trying to cast the latest incident in the best light -- and remind the government that NASA's missions to Mir are not just about science.
The shuttle dockings and lengthy astronaut stays aboard the aging outpost are phase one of a tremendously complicated, hugely expensive plan to build a new international space station, with the Russians as principle partners.
Just as important as any science experiments, NASA managers say, is the way the two agencies have learned to work together through the mission. After six shuttle dockings with Mir, NASA and the Russians have learned a lot about the pitfalls of their partnership.
President Clinton was receiving frequent updates from NASA and said through his spokesman that he remained committed to the shuttle-Mir program.
And for the sake of the partnership, space analyst John Logsdon said continuing the shuttle-Mir program is the right thing to do. "If it ends now, we'll learn some more, but I don't think it says anything about the outlook for the new part of the program," he said.
Eleven years after its first pieces were launched, Mir is long past its designed lifetime. Hopes that it can be traded in for a new model seem to survive despite anxious moments along the road.
Correspondent Miles O'Brien contributed to this report.
Special Sections:
- Message Board: Mir collision
- CNN In-Depth: Space
Related stories:
- Mir repair may involve 'internal spacewalk' - June 26, 1997
- Mir -- repair it or abandon it? - June 26, 1997
- Crippled Mir turns to sun for needed solar energy - June 26, 1997
- Mir has 3-man 'lifeboat' ready - June 25, 1997
- Mir's woes raise doubts about U.S.-Russian cooperation - June 25, 1997
- Russian supply ship collides with space station Mir - June 25, 1997
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
- NASA Shuttle-Mir Web - information about the Mir Space station is provided by NASA
- Spektr - section of the space station that was hit
- MIR Space Station - Radio Transmit Info - includes information about how to transmit and receive communications with MIR through amateur radio
- ISS Phase I - Space Station Mir - contains graphics and specifications of the diferent areas of MIR
- Russian Space Agency - homepage of the Russian Space Agency through the NASA site
- Pictures and Movies - contains pictures of MIR and MIR missions as released by the Russian Space Agency
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