Conference 7.286::space

    I saw the launch live this A.M and was amazed at the clarity of
    the pictures from inside the capsule just � minute or so after the
    launch. There was absolutely no jitter in the picture even during
    the first stage separation (I expected a little jump in the picture
    or a ruffling of the note pad that was beeing held so calmly !).
    Do you suppose these pictures might have been dubbed in from a previous
    'Dry Run' of the launch ?
    
    B.W.

Look in the amateur radio VAXnotes file (NUHAVN::HAMRADIO).  One of the more
recent notes concerns MIR,  especially w.r.t. various signals emanating from
it (and some past Soviet manned/unmanned) spacecraft, and information about
some amateur radio satellites that will be launched (usually by hand) from it.

    Mir is an entirely new station which was recently launched.  It
    is not just an upgrade to Salyut 7, although there is some Western
    speculation that the two stations may be joined up.
    
    BTW, Mir is prounounced like "mere" but with a slight roll on the
    r.  It means "peace".  It is also the same word
    for "world", but since the Soviets say they mean peace, that is
    what it means.
        
     Burns
    
    

    RE: Mir= "world" + "peace"= world peace.........hmmmmmmmmmmm now
    wouldn't that be nice.........
    
    
    I heard on NPR this AM that the new station will have private living
    compartments for the crew to sleep, read, relax etc. In addition,
    I believe it will have multiple docking ports. The Soviets would
    like to maintain a contstant presence in space via this station
    and rotating crews.

    More input.
    
    I have heard that this device has as many as six docking ports.
    can anybody confirm this?  And what does the USSR expect to be
    sending up that would need 6 docking ports?
    
    jim
    

    I'm working from memory here...
    
    I believe Mir has 7 ports (maybe it was 6...), 1 of which is planned 
    to be permanently attached to the Salyut 7 "station".
    
    The reason for all the ports are:
    
       1. Crew docking ports (say 1 for the long-term crew and 1 for
          a visiting team)
    
       2. Supply port (the Soviets send up supplies in unmanned crafts
          which dock with the station).
    
       3. More modules.
    
       4. More modules.
    
    - dave

    I also saw the inside shots but presumed that they taken at some
    other time. It is possible that they were live. I read in a european
    space magazine that for satellite launches that the Soviet booster
    ('D' class in this case, not the A-2 that they use to launch Soyuz)
    placed the least stress on the payload, with Ariane second and the
    Shuttle a fairly violent third. The technology is not that much
    diferent between the two launchers so it is possible that the launch
    is smoother than similar US flights.
    
    Still it didn't look like it was shot during launch to me.
    
    gary

    Yes 'MIR' means peace and it has a six docking ports
    It was launched on the 20th of Feb from the Cosmodrom ??sp
    (45.6N,63.4E) and had several orbit correction, with the last major
    one being on the 9th of March to put it in a near circular orbit
    at about 340 km (apogee).  Its mean motion (rev per day around the
    earth ) is 15.779 or so.  Saylut_7 is in a slightly higher orbit
    of about 347 km (apogee) and is presently merged with a Kosmos1686
    It is not sure if the Russian will tie togeth all three units or
    just two of them.  Mir itself occupies one of the docking ports,
    so only 5 are left, put Salyut_7 on one and Cosmos 1686 on the other
    the still leaves 3,
    Soyuz T-15 launch from the Baikonur launch pad today at 12:33 utc
    and has Leonid Kizim and Vladimir Solvev, old time experts in long
    endurance and space walks.  I think they both have been in space
    for over 270 days in a row, and both have done extensive repair
    work on the Salyut_7.  Salyut_7 was occupied untill Dec of last
    year when the Cosmonaut got sick and the crew had to return to earth
    in a hurry.  Salyut_7 may be having some problems and the crew may
    need to repair it.  It was rumored that the rocket controls were
    not working again.  This may be true as Salyut_7 has not change
    its orbit (except for it normal decay) since Mir was launched.
    
    for those with scanner try 121.750 WBFM for Soyuz T-15 and  
    142.4175 and or 142.825 MHz NBFM for Salyut_7.  They sometimes use
    an HF beacon for the first five orbits of a Soyuz on 18.000 or
    18.060MHz this is AM.  It is a good object to view and you can
    see it with the unaided eye.
    
    Watch for docking in 24 to 48 hours
    
    john
    

    Sorry a small error 142.4175 and or 143.825 MHz NBFM (not 142.825)
    also the Black and White TV pictures of Leonid and Vladimir were
    live, but they did cut in an older picture of them working on Salyut_7
    also.
    
    The amateur satellite that may be lauched will most likly be called
    ISKA_4 it should last two months or so before surrendering to the
    earth's gravataitional field
    
    jb
    

    I received about 30 sec of Russian Voice from SOYUZ T-15 yesterday
    
    SOYUZ T-15 will dock this Saturday (march 15,1986) with MIR
    at one of the two ports on either end of the MIR space station
    
    four of the docks are special design for a special craft in which
    biological, astrophysical and other studier could be conducted
    
    it is also rumored that next week another piece of the space station
    will be lauch from the Cosmodrome, there are some minor problems
    with MIR Tass said today but they have been corrected
    
    john
    

    re .8
    
    Thanks for the information. Where did you get your data from? Any one
    particular source? 

    
    There a couple of things you mentioned that I find a little confusing.
    You mention that 'Mir itself occupies one of the docking ports'. What
    do you mean by that? Also, I was under the impression that Kosmos 1686
    attached to one of the end ports on Salyut and provided another port
    itself so the docking capability was not reduced. A common mission
    profile has been to have two Soyuz craft docked for birief periods and
    the visiting crew return in the older craft. Regardless of the Kosmos
    1686 configuration I would have thought it possible to attach the
    combined Salyut/Kosmos to one port.
    
    gary 
    

    The docking ports have been published by TASS and each time it is
    dircribe a little bit different.  The First report I saw was that
    ther were six ports.  Then I saw that there were actualy only five
    as MIR took one of the six port, this meant that the docking module
    was consider a seperate picece say a box with a docking port on
    each side (six sided object) put MIR on one side then there are
    five left, the latest report of the Soyuz T-15 docking on Sat the
    15th of March at 12:38 UTC had T-15 docking at one of the two 
    possible docking ports on each end of MIR and that the other four
    were special design for more parts of the space lab. So 1 + 1 =3
    for now....
    Yes Kosmos1686/SALYUT_7 are linked and there is still a docking
    port...
    Good transmission was receive at my location or MIR on 143.625 MHZ
    WBFM, it could be copied in NBFM but it would be hard to understand.
    
    Nothing was heard on this freq or any other know used freq. since
    then so I am not sure if they have left or the Russian fishing fleet
    has move.
    
    time line of docking events
    docking  12:38 UTC
    +2 hours Leonid Kizim and Vladimir Solovev entered MIR
    +5 hours live TV coverage
    
    
    sources TASS, AP news, and swling
    
    jb
    

    one more comment on Kosmos_1686/SALYUT_7 combo, if another kosmos
    tug was to dock with SALYUT then the older one has always been droped
    and deorbited within two days of the new one, this may mean the
    the docking port to KOSMOS and to SALYUT is different..
    

    The description of Mir in the sunday NY Times makes it sound like
    there is a 'multiple docking adaptor' (to reuse a term), with the
    current module attached to one of the ports on that unit. It also
    seems like there is a Soyuz specific port and several (four?) other
    module ports.
    
    re .13
    
    Are you referring to the Progress vehicles they use to replenish
    supplies etc or some other vehicle docking with the Salyut?
    
    gary

    An Aviation Week report that I read yesterday says that there are
    5 ports free ports on the docking adaptor, which is on one end of
    Mir, and another port on the other end of Mir.  This may explain
    the discrepancies we have heard; all are true.  The docking adaptor
    has 5 open ports.  There are 6 ports available.  The docking adaptor
    has 6 ports, but one of them is plugged into Mir.
    
    Burns
    

    last week MIR up it orbit height to about the same as that of Salyut_7
    so a link up may still happen, a good time would be around the 6
    or the 12 of Apr, if nothing else they still have to go to Salyut_7
    and pick up a Dust Partical Experiment that was left there
    also a PROG_25 was launch with supplies etc on the 19 of March and
    docked ont he 21 of March
    the 29th and the 30 found MIR testing out a new communications system
    simular to our TDRS, that will allow MIR to communicate with the
    homeland when out of normal radio range
    

    	TIME Magazine said that though this was a live televised showing
    of the Soyuz T launch, the Soviets had a sixty-second tape delay
    put in, in case something did go wrong!
    
    	Larry