[FPSPACE] Mir Gyrodynes Fail To Restart

[JamesOberg@aol.com]

Space Station Mir's Gyroscopes Fail
AP-NY-01-22-01 0511EST
  
MOSCOW (AP) - Ground controllers have been unable to restart the gyroscopes 
that align the Mir space station, but space officials insisted Monday that 
the problem wouldn't affect an upcoming docking with a cargo ship intended to 
push the orbiter down for good. 

The gyroscopes ground to a halt during a sudden power loss last week that 
disabled the 15-year-old Mir's central computer and its orientation system, 
prompting officials to put off the launch of the Progress M1 cargo ship for 
fears the Mir would be too unstable to dock with. 

Mission Control quickly fixed the computer problem, but has failed to switch 
on the gyroscopes, the preferred, fuel-free way of aligning the station. 
Instead, Mission Control spokesman Valery Lyndin said, Mission Control is 
keeping the station stable using several dozen small thrusters. 

``Ground controllers repeatedly tried to switch on the gyroscopes Saturday, 
but failed to get them working,'' Lyndin said. 

The alternate alignment system won't affect the scheduled launch of the 
Progress M1, now set for Wednesday, or the Saturday docking, Lyndin said. 

The Progress is to fire its rockets to push the troubled Mir toward the earth 
in March, jettisoning the station in the Pacific Ocean. 

After years of waffling, the Russian government finally decided last year to 
discard the Mir and concentrate resources on the new NASA-led International 
Space Station, which the United States has urged for years.