MIRNEWS.352                                                  3 APRIL 1997
Progress-M34: The launch of this freighter from Baykonur is on schedule for 
6.04.1997 at 1904UTC.  If this start will t ake place and the flight to the 
MIR complex will be successful docking can be expected on 8.04.1997 at abt. 
1730UTC.  P r-M34 has to deliver new supplies of fuel, oxygen, water, food 
and repairmaterials.  Pr-M34 will also bring 2 spacesuit s  for spacewalks 
(EVA's) of a new type.  Originally the Russians planned to have a new Antares 
transmitter (for commun ications via the geostationary satellite)  ready for 
the flight with Pr-M34, but possibly they cannot make that and tha t means 
that this transmitter will be delivered at MIR by the shuttle Atlantis in 
May. 
MIR-routine:  MIR's passes for our position take place during the nighthours  
and in this period all communications are
 handled by the trackingstations in the USA Dryden and Wallops and the OKIK's 
in the East of Siberia.  For the oxygen p roduction the crew is fully 
dependent on the so called 'shashki', the lithium perchlorate cartridges. 
Daily they 'consu me' 2 or 3 cartridges.  The 2 Elektronsystems could not be 
repaired and so the crew has to wait for new Elektrons to be
 delivered by Atlantis. 
Altair-2 (23426 - 94082A): This geostationary satellite recently still over a 
subsatellite point over 95 degrees East  has been brought in a somewhat 
higher orbit. Now the period is  more than 1436 minutes.  This means that the 
subsatelli te point is slowly moving to the West. If all goes according to 
plan Altair-2 will reach a position over 16 degrees Wes t in the 2d week of 
May. 
1st Spacewalk  (EVA) Tsibliyev and Linenger:  This EVA is on schedule for 
29.04.1997.
Chris v.d. Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202
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