Mir as part of ISS

[ascan1984]

A longtime ago (1998) I read in the BIS magazine spaceflight that they were thinking of joining mir up to the iss to make it bigger. Does anyone know anything about this as i am a little baffeled how it would work

 

[nacnud]

I'll have a stab at this, I don't know exactly how it would have worked but it will be fun finding out.<br /><br />Form what I have gathered about the ISS is basically a cut down hybrid of Space Station Freedom and MIR 2. From the schematic below you can see the join between the two at the only APAS docking port in the middle of the station. <br /><br />However it is not as simple as all that. The Zarya (orange) module is where it gets interesting. This module, although built by the Russians was paid for by the Americans. The core of the Russian side of the station is actually the Zvezda (red) module. This is very similar to the core module of MIR.<br /><br />Give a quick glance Zevzda and the MIR core the main differences I can spot are the number and type of docking ports. <br /><br />Make the aft port of Zarya a cone and probe port, and fit the spherical docking section with a few more hybrid ports and it would have been able to dock with MIR and the rest of the ISS could have been added from there.<br /><br />This is mainly guess work but if anyone knows what the Russians actually proposed I would love to know. Apart from the damaged Spektr module, which I think should have been jettisoned after adding Zarya, there was a lot of capabilities that MIR had that are still not yet present on the ISS.<br />

 

[nacnud]

I found some more information about joining MIR to the ISS, this is from 1995<br /><br /><font color="yellow">Cosmonautics<br />By Dennis Newkirk<br />COPYRIGHT 1995 by CSPACE PRESS INC. All rights reserved<br />-----------------------------------------------------<br />Oct./Nov. 1995<br />INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION DEVELOPMENTS<br /><br />This past summer Russian officials notified NASA that they would like to reuse the Spectr and Priroda modules from Mir on the International Space Station. While NASA officials are understandably frightened with the prospect of another change in the International Space Station (ISS) design, the Russians have been moving carefully with revealing their plan.<br /><br />The argument goes something like this; it is a bad idea to abandon the relatively new Spectr and Priroda (to be launched next spring) when Mir is left unmanned in early 1998 as the first Russian crew arrives at the ISS. So they should be used on the ISS at least until their design life ends. On face value this sound like a fine idea and then the question of how to move the modules must be addressed. The modules have a limited propellant supply, some of which was used when they were docked to Mir. The modules usually have enough propellant to make about 3 approaches for docking so they should be able to fly to the ISS (provided Priroda has no big rendezvous problems).<br /><br />Once modules are flown to the ISS how do they dock? The modules were specially made to dock to the forward port of a Mir like module. After they dock to a 'birthing' port (the forward port on Mir) they are moved to a side port using a crude manipulator arm which is very restricted in its movements. There is no such 'birthing' port on the ISS, at least not until the planned June 1998 (3R) launch of the Universal Docking module and the docking mechanism it uses is not yet clear, so the modules may or may not be able to dock there. In any event, this plan involves 2 dockings, and 2 movements of modules and the a</font>

 

[ascan1984]

Thankyou both so much for the info. I really apreciate it. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

 

[quasar2]

i think someone precrash mentioned adding hubble. of course that would bad for "bumps". <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[quasar2]

the truly sad part of ISS is that her inclination is inimical for Lunar orbital insertion. i wonder if hubble`s orbit is such? if so, couldn`t more be built in hubble`s vicinity? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[quasar2]

ok thanks SG i had heard (shoulda checked on it myself), that ISS was compromise on behalf of the Russian launch from Baikonur. & that freedom would`ve been even more of an easy Lunar inclination. how long has the idea of landing @ poles been considered? i assumed this only a recent idea because of possible ice. thanks for spending some time here btw. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[quasar2]

i`d heard a modified Soyuz could be actually be launched toward The Moon from ISS. we had a few threads on this. just didn`t get very far w/ them. i`m wondering if this was tried would this vehicle be modified in orbit or on the ground? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[mikejz]

The recent proposal for a lunar Soyuz if I remember correctly was to have it dock with a modified Delta II upper stage after completeing it mission to the ISS. It would then complete a figure-8 around the moon (Not enough Delta-V to orbit). The modifications to the Soyuz if I remember correctly was a thicker TPS and a new, larger capacity toilet.

 

[nacnud]

Found the company proposing this, they are called Constellation Services International, Inc. and they have a lovely website and a nice presentation [pdf] showing the idea.<br /><br />Seems like a great jaunt if you have the money <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />.<br /><br />There is a picture as well:<br />

 

[quasar2]

bump<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>