Priroda (module)

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Mission dates
Mission: Priroda
Crew: unmanned
Target: Me
Start vehicle: proton
Start on: April 23, 1996 / Baikonur
Coupling on: April 26, 1996
Decoupling on: -
Re-entry on: March 23, 2001
Flight duration: 1,793 days
burns up over: Pacific
Earth orbits: around 29,000
previous DCS mission :

Spectr

following DCS mission :

Zarya

Priroda ( Russian Природа 'nature') is the name of the last of six scientific modules that expanded the Russian Mir space station until 1996. The use of Priroda was made possible in particular through cooperation between the space nations USA and Russia. Priroda was mainly used for earth observation and, in addition to geophysical research facilities, housed experiments from twelve nations.

development

Graphic with an overview of the external extensions
Structure of the Priroda module

Originally, Priroda was planned for combined military and civil remote sensing of the earth. New space-based exploration facilities for military observations and for the detection of mineral resources were to be tested on board. As with the previous modules, the manufacturer Tschelomei relied on the tried and tested TKS modules in order to be able to implement the construction quickly and inexpensively. However, the construction was delayed by several years, especially due to constantly changing political interests. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1992, all funds, in particular for military space projects, were canceled without replacement, so that work on Priroda had to be discontinued and the module was preserved by the manufacturer together with the already largely completed Spectrum module.

Just one year later, the two large space nations, the USA and Russia, agreed in 1993 on a joint civil space program. In order to gain experience in building and operating a space station, NASA offered to participate in the operation of the Mir space station . In addition to a lump sum payment of 400 million US dollars, NASA provided additional funds for the completion and launch of the Spektr and Priroda modules. In return, Russia pledged to accommodate US equipment in the modules instead of military equipment and to allow US astronauts to stay on board the Mir for long periods of time.

Actually, like the previous modules, Priroda should also be equipped with solar cells . However, on the one hand, the construction and assembly of the solar cells was delayed, and on the other hand, with increasing expansion, the Mir no longer offered enough space to unfold the solar cells in space. Furthermore, the weight of Priroda continued to increase due to the international renovation, so that initially the installation of a solar module pointing in the direction of flight was dispensed with and the supply was provided by other Mir modules, in particular Spektr. To test the functions in space, Priroda received a battery-powered supply unit instead of solar cells, which was supposed to ensure the operation of the systems for the duration of the autonomous flight.

Start and installation

Scheme of the final extension of the Mir after installation by Priroda (front right)

Due to reconstruction work due to the changed requirements and the parallel completion of the Spectrum module, Priroda could not be launched from Baikonur until April 23, 1996 on board a Proton rocket . Due to a fault in the electrical system, around half of the power supply collapsed as soon as it entered Earth orbit. Without your own solar cells, despite the disconnection of all unnecessary consumers, there was only enough energy left for a single automatic attempt to couple with the space station , which caused concern among the ground staff due to problems with earlier modules that required several attempts at docking. After shortening the orbital maneuvers and accelerating the approach to the Mir, Priroda was able to couple with the axial docking point at the docking node on the first attempt on April 26th after only a three-day flight. From there, the next day, Mir's robot arm moved it to the final radial position opposite the crystal module that had already been installed . After the implementation, Priroda was connected to the Mir energy system and put into operation by the crew. The supply batteries that were no longer needed in the interior were removed and disposed of with the Progress M-31 unmanned transporter .

Scientific tasks

Photo of the Mir complex in 1998 with Priroda (above, with radar antenna but still without solar cell)

Similar to the other research modules, Priroda had a usable interior space of around 65 cubic meters, which was divided into two departments by a bulkhead : The smaller, external instrument section was used to attach research facilities and as a storage room for experiments and materials. The larger area provided additional living and working areas for the Mir crew. In addition, the outer skin of the module was used to attach experiments and sensors. It is noteworthy that Priroda, in addition to experiments by Russia and the USA, was also the starting point for research by ten other nations, including Germany, within the framework of international participation.

The main focus of the research was the civil earth exploration, among other things by scanning with microwaves as well as infrared and spectral cameras. Several experiments were used to monitor environmental pollution and to determine the effects of mankind on the environment. As part of geological investigations and measurements of the earth's surface, ore and water deposits were explored and the development of mass clearing and the resulting erosion were observed. Furthermore, experiments were carried out on the effects of the oceans on the atmosphere, the enrichment of the atmosphere with gases and investigations into ocean waves. Moreover served Priroda as a relay station in a Russian tsunami - and earthquake - an early warning system .

For the outer shape of Priroda, an oversized radar antenna on the side and the solar power plant that was subsequently installed axially as part of a space exit are decisive.

Conclusions

Although Priroda was the youngest Mir module, errors in the power supply and the general neglect of the module had already progressed so far during the last Mir mission in 2000 that the last crew could no longer operate any of the facilities installed in Priroda. As a result, the Priroda and the leaked Spectrum module could no longer be used without extensive repairs. Further shortcomings in the aging space station dispelled any last hopes that Mir would continue to operate. Plans to fully or at least partially integrate the Mir into the new International Space Station ISS were then abandoned, particularly at the insistence of the USA. Nevertheless, Priroda, together with Spektr and other components of the Mir, made a significant contribution to the rapprochement of the great space nations. Based on experience with Priroda and Spektr, the USA later decided to buy the Zarya module from the TKS series from Russia in its entirety, thereby laying the foundation for the international space station.

literature

  • David M. Harland: The story of Space Station Mir . In: Springer Praxis Books in Space Exploration . Springer, Berlin / Heidelberg / New York 2005, ISBN 978-0-387-23011-5 (English).
  • E. Zimmermann, G. Bach: Priroda . A research module of the Soviet orbital station MIR for remote sensing of the earth. Scientific payload, technical description. Institute for Cosmos Research, Berlin 1990.

Web links

Commons : Priroda  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files