Word: shipped
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...feeble fire extinguishers they carried were no match for the oxygen-fed flames. Ordinarily if things got out of hand, the crew could evacuate in a Soyuz capsule docked outside. But this time the fire blocked their path. Fortunately, the flames exhausted themselves before it became necessary to abandon ship, and the crisis passed...
...fire, which broke out in late February, was not the station's finest hour--but it wasn't its worst, either. Lately, the 11-year-old ship has been falling apart at an alarming rate, and the cash-poor Russians have been unable to do much about it. In March, its oxygen system failed; soon after, its gyroscopes quit; and three weeks ago, an ongoing coolant leak caused temperatures to rise to an oven-like 88[degrees...
...station. This week NASA plans to fly astronaut Mike Foale up to Mir, bringing to five the number of Americans who will have been Russia's orbital guests. Despite these successes, some in Washington are wondering whether it's safe for any American to set foot aboard the rickety ship. Even if Mir survives, others are asking, what does the sorry state of the craft say about Russia's ability to participate in future projects with the U.S.--particularly the long-planned international space station? The best course, doubters say, might be to cut the Russians loose before their collapsing...
Actually, much of what has gone wrong with Mir is largely a result of unavoidable wear and tear. Improvised fixes have helped the Russians solve problems--at least temporarily--as they have arisen, and experts say that this handyman approach is appropriate for a ship designed for years of use. "The space station is a different vehicle from the shuttle," says James van Laak, a NASA deputy director. "You tolerate a different set of failures...
...like a pig on a spit to keep it from overheating in the sun. In April, Congress began work on a budgetary amendment that would require NASA to certify Mir's safety before more Americans go aloft. Russia appears to realize that it will either have to scuttle the ship or invest the money to fix it properly. While Moscow has nothing like the ready rubles that flowed during the Sputnik days, the government is proving resourceful at scratching up funds...