HIGH-WIRE ACT

The crew of space station Mir is expected to begin one of the most daring rewiring jobs this week, stringing together cables that were disconnected after a June crash. The cables carried solar energy from batteries outside the Spektr module to the main power grid. The cables were pulled apart when crew members closed a hatch to keep air in the rest of the station from leaking.

Repair Job

EVACUATION OPTION: Astronaut Michael Foale will be waiting in Soyuz transport. In an emergency, the crew can return to Earth in the craft.

INSERTING CABLES: Cosmonaut Anatoly Solovev will help string cables through airtight openings in the hatch.

SOLAR HOOKUP: Cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov will hook up cables inside Spektr and exit before hatch is closed. There may be sharp objects and hazardous substances in the darkened, cramped module.

Hatch when closed: Modified hatch with cable connectors brought to station in July.

Mir space station: (Year represents when modules added to station)

Space shuttle docking module (1995)

Krystall module (1990)

Spektr module (1995)

Mir core module (1986)

Priroda module (1996)

Kvant-1 module (1987)

Kvant-2 module (1989)

RECENT PROBLEMS

FEBRUARY: An oxygen canister bursts into flames, filling the station with vapor and smoke.

MARCH: Both oxygen generators fail, forcing the crew to rely on canisters similar to one that exploded in February.

APRIL: The temperature control system begins leaking harmful coolant, briefly raising temperatures in parts of the station to above 86 degrees.

JUNE: A Russian supply ship crashes into the station during a docking, puncturing the Spektr module and causing it to lose pressure.

JULY: Mir loses nearly all its remaining power when the crew accidentally disconnects a cable. Power is eventually restored.

AUGUST: Oxygen system breaks down; computer fails, throwing Mir into an unstable orbit.

* Mir visible from Earth tonight. B2