Space Shuttle Imagery Survey of the MIR Space Station

Space Shuttle Imagery Survey
of the MIR Space Station

As a first step in the joint cooperation of Europe, Russia, Japan, and the United States in building the International Space Station (ISS), a series of docking missions are being conducted with the Mir Space Station and the Space Shuttle. One of the major purposes of these missions is to gather information on environmental and operational conditions on-board Mir and to apply this information to the ISS.

One activity that is a part of this program is the acquisition and analysis of photographic and video imagery data of the Mir from the Shuttle. This data is acquired by the astronaut crew using on-board photographic and video equipment during the rendezvous and mated operations with the Mir. The imagery is then processed, screened, and analyzed in the Image Science and Analysis Group of the Earth Science Branch at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas and RSC-Energia, Kaliningrad, Russia. These analyses include both qualitative and quantitative assessments of external deposition and contamination, surface degradation, unanticipated solar array motion, micrometeoroid and orbital debris strikes, and configuration verification.

The current Mir station consists of seven modules: Base Block, Kvant, Kvant-2, Kristall, Spektr, Priroda, and an Orbiter Docking Module. The first module, Base Block, was launched in February 1986, with successive modules launched until the station assembly was completed in May 1996. Although the specific configuration of the Mir has changed over time, and a variety of modifications and repairs have been made to the external surfaces, there is, nonetheless, a fascinating record of long-duration exposure of the Mir to the space environment. This is especially significant since the actual on-orbit life of these modules has far exceeded their expected service life.

In general, the record of photographic documentation of the Mir since the launch of the first module has been sporadic, but the amount and quality of photo and video equipment on the Shuttle, as well as the ability of the Shuttle to perform fly-arounds of the Mir, has allowed a detailed survey of the Mir to be performed. Recently-launched modules, such as Spektr and the Docking Module, have been surveyed with little on-orbit time, which forms a good baseline from which future degradation can be compared. For example, the Priroda module and the Cooperative Solar Array on the Kvant module were photographed for the first time during STS 79 docking mission.

Photography (35mm, 70mm, and digital) is used to provide high resolution detail of the Mir. Many instances of surface damage and discoloration have been identified using the handheld photography. These include: solar array damage on most modules, surface and thermal protection blanket damage and discoloration, some of which occurred in a four-month timeframe, flaking paint coating of a Spektr radiator, etc. The intensity, pattern, and location of noted discoloration is used by the technical community to determine whether its source can be attributed to outgassing, leaks, or atomic oxygen. In addition, many potential micrometeoroid/orbital debris strikes have been identified and measured, with size ranges up to 25 cm². Finally, this photography is being used by the operational community for EVA planning and to verify hardware and experiment installation.

Video acquired from the Orbiter payload bay cameras is primarily used to capture dynamic events. This includes measuring solar array motion, estimating the size and velocity of free-floating debris, and characterizing thruster plume dispersion angles. Video has also been used to verify the orientation of the Mir External Environment Panels (MEEP) after EVA installation.

The photographic and video data have confirmed the robust design and good condition of the Mir station. NASA, and the space external environments technical community, is fortunate that not only is on-orbit photography an excellent way to convey the excitement and drama of the space program to the public, it can also provide technical data to characterize and understand the on-orbit environment.