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Mir Space Station


Tyneside, UK
2024 Mar 29
Friday, Day 89

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Mir Diary - 1987

A Chronology of mission events in orbit and on the ground. Mir existed for fifteen years growing from the original 20 tonne core module to a massive 130+ tonnes.

Date Time (UTC) Event
1987 Jan 16 06:06 Progress 27 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 183 x 249 kilometre orbit
1987 Jan 18 07:26 Progress 27 docks at the aft port of Mir - orbit is 315 x 343 kilometres
1987 Jan 25 Using Progress 27 manoeuvring engine, Mir orbit is raised to 328 x 363 kilometres to allow Soyuz TM-2 to follow the optimum trajectory
1987 Feb 5 21:38 Soyuz TM-2 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into approx 190 x 220 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination with cosmonauts Yuri Romanenko and Alexandr Laveikin aboard
1987 Feb 7 23:27 Soyuz TM-2 docks with Mir forward-facing port - orbit is 328 x 362 kilometres
1987 Feb 23 11:29 Progress 27 undocks from Mir
1987 Feb 25 15:16 Progress 27 fires its manoeuvring engine to initiate re-entry and burns up as a result of frictional heating over the Pacific Ocean some 40 minutes later
1987 Mar 3 11:14 Progress 28 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 185 x 254 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination
1987 Mar 5 12:42 Progress 28 docks at the aft port of Mir - orbit is 344 x 369 kilometres
1987 Mar 21 Progress 28 begins re-fuelling Mir
1987 Mar 26 05:06 Progress 28 undocks from Mir
1987 Mar 28 03:01 Progress 28 fires its manoeuvring engine to initiate re-entry and burns up as a result of frictional heating over the Pacific Ocean some 40 minutes later
1987 Mar 31 00:06 Kvant atrophysics module, with an attached orbital tug, launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Proton rocket into 171 x 300 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination
1987 Apr 5 00:00 Approximate time - Kvant attempts to dock with Mir but a malfunction aboard Kvant means that the docking has to be called off and Kvant passes by Mir at a distance of 10 metres
1987 Apr 9 00:35 Kvant docks with Mir rear port but the docking latches fail to hold because an obstruction prevents the two craft from being pulled together - orbit is 344 x 363 kilometres
1987 Apr 11 19:41 Romanenko and Laveikin start a space walk to investigate the Mir-Kvant docking interface - they move 13 meters down the whole length of Mir and remove a cloth bag containing used hand towels (which had 'escaped' while Progress 28 was being loaded with rubbish) from the docking unit
1987 Apr 11 23:21 Romanenko and Laveikin complete their space walk after 3 hr 40 min
1987 Apr 12 20:18 While Romanenko and Laveikin watch, Kvant and Mir complete their docking
1987 Apr 12 20:18 Kvant orbital tug separates and moves away, clearing a new docking port for future use by spacecraft visiting Mir - controllers had intended to de-orbit the module so it would be destroyed but insufficient fuel remains because of the additional manoeuvres needed for the second docking attempt
1987 Apr 21 15:14 Progress 29 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 188 x 238 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination
1987 Apr 23 17:04 Progress 29 docks at the Mir complex Kvant docking port - orbit is 343 x 363 kilometres
1987 May 6 mission planners announce that a space walk from Mir, planned for the next few days, has been postponed
1987 May 11 03:10 Progress 29 undocks from Mir
1987 May 11 07:51 Progress 29 fires its manoeuvring engine to initiate re-entry and burns up as a result of frictional heating over the Pacific Ocean some 40 minutes later
1987 May 18 04:02 Progress 30 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 186 x 246 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination
1987 May 21 05:50 Progress 30 docks at the Mir complex Kvant docking port - orbit is 343 x 366 kilometres
1987 Jun 12 16:55 Romanenko and Laveikin begin a space walk to install a third solar panel on the outside of Mir
1987 Jun 12 18:48 Romanenko and Laveikin complete space walk after 1 hr 53 min
1987 Jun 16 15:30 Approximate time - Romanenko and Laveikin begin a space walk to complete work on installation of Mir third solar panel
1987 Jun 16 18:45 Approximate time - Romanenko and Laveikin complete space walk after 3 hr 15 min
1987 Jul 8 Mir orbit is 341 x 364 kilometres, having been maintained close to that height since the middle of 1987 April by constant firings of Mir own thrusters, and those of visiting spacecraft
1987 Jul 9 After a firing of Progress 30 manoeuvring engine, Mir orbit has been lowered to 312 x 360 kilometres in preparation for the rendezvous with Soyuz TM-3
1987 Jul 19 00:19 Progress 30 undocks from Mir
1987 Jul 19 05:00 Approximate time - Progress 30 fires its manoeuvring engine to initiate re-entry and burns up as a result of frictional heating over the Pacific Ocean after some 40 minutes
1987 Jul 22 01:59 Soyuz TM-3 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 197 x 217 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination with cosmonauts Aleksandr Viktorenko, Aleksandr Aleksandrov and Mohammad Al Faris (of Syria) aboard - three out of Mir crew of five are called Aleksandr!
1987 Jul 24 03:31 Soyuz TM-3 docks with the Mir complex Kvant port - orbit is 311 x 359 kilometres
1987 Jul 29 20:34 Soyuz TM-2 undocks from Mir with Viktorenko, Laveikin and Faris aboard - Laveikin is returning to Earth because of concerns over his health - there are problems reported with his heart rhythm
1987 Jul 30 01:04 Soyuz TM-2 lands - 140 kilometres north-east of Arkalyk
1987 Jul 30 23:28 Soyuz TM-3 undocks from Mir with Romanenko and Aleksandrov aboard
1987 Jul 30 23:47 After Mir has completed a 180 degree rotation, Soyuz TM-3 docks with the forward port
1987 Aug 3 20:44 Progress 31 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 187 x 250 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination
1987 Aug 5 22:27 Progress 31 docks at the Mir complex Kvant docking port - orbit is 309 x 360 kilometres
1987 Sep 21 23:57 Progress 31 undocks from Mir
1987 Sep 23 00:22 Progress 31 fires its manoeuvring engine to initiate re-entry and burns up as a result of frictional heating over the Pacific Ocean some 40 minutes later
1987 Sep 23 23:43 Progress 32 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 186 x 250 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination
1987 Sep 26 01:08 Progress 32 docks at the Mir complex Kvant docking port - orbit is 397 x 355 kilometres
1987 Nov 10 04:09 Progress 32 undocks from Mir
1987 Nov 10 05:47 After an approach to Mir using a new version of the automatic docking software, Progress 32 re-docks with the Mir complex Kvant port
1987 Nov 17 19:24 Progress 32 undocks from Mir
1987 Nov 18 00:10 Progress 32 fires its manoeuvring engine to initiate re-entry and burns up as a result of frictional heating over the Pacific Ocean some 40 minutes later
1987 Nov 21 23:47 Progress 33 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 187 x 249 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination
1987 Nov 23 01:39 Progress 33 docks at the Mir complex Kvant docking port - orbit is 326 x 343 kilometres
1987 Dec 19 08:15 Progress 33 undocks from Mir
1987 Dec 19 12:56 Progress 33 fires its manoeuvring engine to initiate re-entry and burns up as a result of frictional heating over the Pacific Ocean after some 40 minutes
1987 Dec 21 11:18 Soyuz TM-4 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 168 x 243 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination with cosmonauts Vladimir Titov, Musakhi Manarov and Anatoli Levchenko aboard
1987 Dec 23 23:50 Soyuz TM-4 docks with the Mir complex Kvant port - orbit is 333 x 359 kilometres
1987 Dec 29 05:58 Soyuz TM-3 undocks from Mir with Romanenko, Aleksandrov and Levchenko aboard
1987 Dec 29 08:21 Soyuz TM-3 fires its manoeuvring engine to initiate re-entry
1987 Dec 29 09:16 Soyuz TM-3 lands - 60 kilometres north-east of Arkalyk
1987 Dec 30 09:09 Soyuz TM-4 undocks from Mir with Titov and Manarov aboard
1987 Dec 30 09:28 After Mir has completed a 180 degree rotation, Soyuz TM-4 docks with the forward port
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