New crew to conduct Mir repairs

MOSCOW, July 19: Critical repairs to the Mir space station’s damaged power system will wait until a fresh crew arrives, Russian space officials confirmed today, a decision that takes the pressure off the station’s weary Russian-American team.

The crew expressed disappointment that they would not have the chance to repair the damage from a cargo ship collision earlier in their tour of duty that punched a hole in one module and caused the station to lose half its power. “They reacted with understanding, although on a purely human level I understand full well that they were of course upset,” mission control chief Vladimir Solovyov told reporters after a long talk with the crew today.

Solovyov said he told them not to blame themselves for the collision, one of many mishaps to befall the orbiting outpost over the last six months. The decision, which is to be formalised on Monday, means the cancellation of a French scientific mission originally scheduled for launch with the new crew on August 5.