The space station "Mir"

February 19, 1986
In 1986 from the cosmodrome "Baikonur" was launched Soviet space station "Mir" (another name - "Salyut-8).

Station project began to take shape in 1976, when the NGO "Energy" has issued technical proposals for the creation of improved long-term orbital stations. In August 1978, he was released the preliminary design of the new station. In February 1979, turned the work on creation of new generation plant, work began on the base unit, and on-board scientific equipment. But by early 1984, all resources were thrown at the program "Buran", and the work on the station were almost frozen. Did the intervention of the Secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU Grigory Romanov, set the task to complete the station to the XXVII Congress of the CPSU.
The base unit was launched on February 20, 1986. Then, for 10 years, one after another were docked six more modules.
Since 1995, the station began to visit the foreign crews. Also, the station was visited by 15 visiting expeditions, including 14 with the participation of international astronauts Syria, Bulgaria, Afghanistan, France (5 times), Japan, the UK, Austria, Germany (2 times), Slovakia, Canada.
The program "" Mir "-" Shuttle "" was made seven visits to short-term expeditions via ship "Atlantis", with the help of one of the ship "Endeavour" and one with the help of the ship "Discovery", during which the station visited 44 astronaut.
At the end of the 1990s, the station began numerous problems with the failure of the various devices and systems. After some time, the Government of the Russian Federation, referring to the high cost of further exploitation, despite the numerous projects rescue station, decided to flood the "Mir". March 23, 2001 has worked three times longer initial term station has been flooded in a special area in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean, near the islands of Fiji.
A total of 104 work stations of astronauts from 12 countries.
Records station:
Valery Polyakov - continuous stay in space for 438 days (1995).
Shannon Lucid - a record duration spaceflight women - 188 days (1996).
By the number of experiments - 23 000.





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