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MIR: A MODULAR SPACE STATION

The Mir ("Peace") space station, launched in February 1986, is a modular station designed to house more cosmonauts on longer stays than the Salyuts could support. The core of Mir is the "base block" living quarters, which has six docking ports for spacecraft and other modules. Mir can be expanded by adding laboratory and equipment modules, rearranged for different missions and upgraded without abandoning the original core unit.

The Mir space station has been occupied for more than a decade, spanning the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 1995 cosmonaut Valeri Polyakov set a new record for the longest-duration spaceflight: 439 days aboard Mir.


MIR MODULES

BASE BLOCK, 1986 Core module with living quarters and six docking ports, launched in 1986.
KVANT ("QUANTUM") Equipment for astrophysical observations and two docking ports, added in 1987.
KVANT 2 More work space with an extra-vehicular activity airlock, added in 1989.
KRISTALL ("CRYSTAL") Designed for docking with a Soviet shuttle and reconfigured for U.S. Space Shuttle docking; equipped for materials processing experiments; added in 1990.
SPEKTR ("SPECTRUM") Instruments to study Earth's atmosphere, the near-space environment, and cosmic radiation; added in 1995.
PRIRODA ("NATURE") Equipped for microgravity research and remote sensing; added in 1996.
 Mir in orbit
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Diagram of Mir
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