Russians to install 'meteorite trap' on Mir

Mir

MOSCOW (CNN) -- Two Russian cosmonauts on the Mir space station will head out into space late Tuesday to mount a French-made device for catching and studying meteorite particles, a news report said Tuesday.

The station is expected to fly through two strong meteorite showers later this month, including the annual Leonid storm, which could be unusually strong this year.

The French device will collect some of the tiny cosmic fragments for a visiting French cosmonaut to retrieve early next year.

Cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Sergei Avdeyev were to venture into open space late Tuesday night to install the "meteorite trap," the ITAR-Tass news agency said.

The meteor storm doesn't pose a serious threat to the Mir because it consists of tiny remnants, not full meteorites. To be safe, however, the two cosmonauts will board the Soyuz escape capsule when the shower reaches its peak, a spokesman for the Russian Space Agency said.

"Mir has a very reliable outer protection to prevent the negative effects of meteorite showers," he said.

Mission Control had calculated that the meteorite fragments would be very small, measuring between 0.01 to 0.1 millimeters, he said.

A 1996 meteor shower as videotaped by the Japan Planetarium Lab

While on their spacewalk, Padalka and Avdeyev also will mount other scientific hardware on the outside of the Mir and release a satellite made by schoolchildren from several countries. The entire mission is scheduled to last six hours, ending early Wednesday.

The cosmonauts are expected to exit Mir at 10:25 p.m. (1925 GMT) and leave the station unmanned for about five hours and 50 minutes as they work on the exterior.

During their spacewalk they are also expected to replace one of the solar panels that provides energy to the orbiting laboratory.

Russia has said it intends to retire Mir next summer. It will launch the first module of the new International Space Station next week.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Related stories: Cosmonauts return to Mir after stabilizing solar panel - April 6, 1998 15 nations sign pact to launch 'city in space' - January 30, 1998 U.S. astronaut says he loves Mir - October 16, 1997

Latest Headlines Pakistan begins troop withdrawal from Indian border White-collar workers in Jakarta join anti-Habibie chorus Veteran politicians hand over EU reform blueprint Klan rally in New York fizzles under counterprotests Falwell hosts summit with gay minister Critics assail plan to give women addicts money to use birth control Chemical that could power microbes is found at Jupiter moon Texas downs No. 3 Huskers, continues hex Illinois stuns No. 9 Michigan 35-29 Agilent plans $1.1 B IPO Agents boycott United for slashing commissions Advocates assail legislation encouraging mergers Today on CNN

Related sites: Note: Pages will open in a new browser window International Space Station NASA Shuttle-Mir Web Return of the Leonid Meteors - from Sky & Telescope External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.