MIRNEWS.373                               28 JULY 1997
Routine: After the announcement of the postponement of the IVA the whole crew 
showed a great disappointment that they w ould not do that. But immediately 
it was obvious that the the mood on board was much better. Though 10 days ago 
they en ergetically and skilfully worked on the IVA preparations they 
possibly shrank from the task itself. Many Americans expr essed concern about 
the question what the crew would have to  do during the period until their 
relief. Apparently they thought there on  would be an idling bunch of 
cosmonauts on board.  This is not true at all: Foale immediately started to 
fulfil that part of the experimental program for which he does not need the 
Spektr module: the greenhouse, the study
 of crystalstructures, the beetle experiment and earth observations.  And he 
himself is there: he can continue medical and psychological experiments. He 
told his American colleagues that the cooled modules Kristall and Priroda 
attract moi sture from the rest of the complex and that the greatest 
condensation appears in these modules. 
Tsibliyev and Lazutkin are now able to concentrate on the preparations for 
their return and to continue in a more relax ed way maintenance- and 
repairwork of the life support systems. 
Using airducts and ventilators Lazutkin blew warm air into the Priroda module 
and dried this module as much as possible . In a conversation with Mark at 
TsUP Foale praised Lazutkin for that what he had achieved.  The drying of the 
Priroda made it possible to use it to stow away the hard- and software for 
the French Pegase expedition and for material and sp areparts for the 
lifesystems of the complex. Tsibliyev is again fully in command and presents 
himself in the way I stil l remember from his flight in 1993/94. 
Altair-2: This geostationary satellite is  in use regularly , more than 
Altair-1 in the past, but in view of the fact t hat 16 windows a day might be 
 possible, they use this possibility relatively seldom.  Altair-2 enables the 
crew to hav e longer conversations with controllers and experts on Earth. 
Especially Foale extensively uses this opportunity. The s atellite is also in 
use for the exchange of video images and data to Earth.  Obviously the use of 
the transceiver on bo ard for these communications is limited due to cooling 
demands. The transceiver and the Elektron have the same coolingl oop. 
Not always the full window for communications via Altair-2 is used.  This was 
the case on 27 and 28.07. 
Cable disconnection: It is still unknown who is to blame for this incident. 
The incident took place during a training f or the IVA.  During the real IVA 
this cable has to be disconnected to make it possible to close the hatch 
between Krist all and the P.Kh.O. So this disconnection must have been  
mentioned in the timetable for the IVA. I wonder whether or n ot  there was 
anybody in TsUP  who had to monitor the activities of the crew and to warn 
them not to disconnect that ca ble, because this was an exercise and not the 
real thing.   Head of Flightcontrol Solovyov shouted: 'This is not a kind 
ergarten'.  Whom did he cry to: the crew or the people with him on Earth?
Chris  Vandenberg, NL-9165/A-UK3202
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