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"Internal Spacewalk" Planned to Restore Power on Mir

Russian and American engineers have designed a plan to restore power from the damaged Spektr module using an untried and risky "internal spacewalk" from within the space station itself.
     Under the proposed repair plan, one or both Russian cosmonauts would replace the hatch to the Spektr module with a new version that would allow electrical connectors to pass through it, enabling power to be routed from the solar panels attached to Spektr back to the rest of the station.
     The cosmonauts would work in the main node of the station, which connects Spektr, the Mir core module, and three other modules on the station. The node would be sealed off from the other modules and depressurized during the repair.
     American astronaut Michael Foale would wait in the Soyuz module during the repair, should anything happen during the repairs that would require an immediate evacuation from the station.
     "Guys, it seems you will have to make a sortie to the Spektr module," said cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev from Russian mission control on Friday. "And you, Mike, if this happens, will have to sit in the escape capsule."
     The crew was skeptical about the prospects of a repair mission when first told about it. "It's very problematic," one of them was heard replying to Krikalev.
     "I have never done this kind of work," said Mir commander Vasily Tsibliev. "Without training, it will not be possible to do this job."
     "We will help you do all the jobs," Vladimir Solovyov replied from mission control.
     A Progress module carrying repair equipment and replacement supplies is scheduled for launch from Baikonur on July 5. Progress M-35 had already been scheduled for launch last Friday, but was delayed to give time to round up the equipment needed to conduct the repairs.
     While the spacewalk, if successful, will restore power to the station from up to three of the four solar panels attached to Spektr, it is unlikely the breech in the hull of the module will be repaired any time in the foreseeable future.
     "It's not likely we'll be able to regain access to the module itself or repressurize it in the near future," said Frank Culbertson, NASA's shuttle-Mir program manager, said, "although I'm sure they'll look at that at some time, when it's appropriate."
     "I think it is going to be a very difficult job,'' he said. "I don't think you can take it lightly. It's going to be interesting for the world to watch this."

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