Word: mir
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When TIME Correspondent Dick Thompson arrived in Moscow to report this week's cover story, he told Soviet space officials that he was looking for "something special." How about an interview with the cosmonauts on board the Mir space station? he inquired. The request took the Soviets by surprise, and the immediate answer was nyet: interviews with cosmonauts must be arranged well in advance and not on an exclusive basis. Besides, Thompson was told, the cosmonauts hate shaving and making all the other preparations required before meeting the press. "My pen doesn't take pictures," Thompson replied; all he wanted...
...only reflects Thompson's unusual interview but also offers glimpses of the inner workings of the Soviet space program. The story, by Staff Writer Michael Lemonick, is accompanied by photographs obtained by Picture Editor Arnold Drapkin through a special arrangement with TASS. They include a shot taken inside the Mir space station and other photos that have never been published outside the Soviet bloc...
Dominating one wall of the control room was an enormous display screen showing a map of the world. Superimposed on the map, a line traced the orbit of the Mir space station, with rings along it representing ground stations. Mir's position was marked by a blue-green light, which was moving slowly across the circle centered on Moscow. The flyby would take only eight minutes, after which the window of communication would close. The audio feed came through with startling clarity, as if Cosmonaut Yuri Romanenko were standing in the next room. "The work here is very interesting...
...does Mir compare with earlier Soviet space stations? "There is much more space," said Romanenko. "There is even room that can be used for living room. Atmospheric conditions are better, and all the instruments provide for good fresh air. It's much better than Salyut." Before another question could be asked, the light left the Moscow circle; the window had closed. Though all too brief, it was an extraordinary, exclusive exchange between an American journalist and an orbiting Soviet cosmonaut...
...then scrapped in favor of the shuttle. With Energia, the Soviets can loft 100-ton payloads, vs. a maximum for the U.S. shuttle of 30 tons. That is enough to carry their shuttle, which is under development, or to orbit parts for a space station far larger than Mir, which could be a platform for a manned mission to Mars. Says Dale Myers, deputy administrator at NASA: "Energia is a pretty impressive machine. I would sure like to have...