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.
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