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 |
| 1990 Jan 8 |
20:24 |
After a one hour delay due to having to check some of Mir systems, Viktorenko and Serebrov begin a space walk to instal two star sensors on the outside of Mir to improve the station orientation system |
| 1990 Jan 8 |
23:20 |
Viktorenko and Serebrov complete space walk after 2 hours 56 minutes |
| 1990 Jan 11 |
18:01 |
Viktorenko and Serebrov begin a space walk to retrieve and dismantle equipment set up during the Soviet-French space walk 1988 Dec 9, and while inside Mir multi-way docking unit they move the drogue-type docking receptor from the upper to the lower port prior to Kristall arrival |
| 1990 Jan 11 |
20:25 |
Viktorenko and Serebrov complete space walk after 2 hours 54 minutes |
| 1990 Jan 26 |
12:09 |
Viktorenko and Serebrov begin a space walk to dismantle the 'Kurs' automatic rendezvous antenna and to erect a moveable instrument platform outside Kvant 2 and attach a bracket for 'parking' an astronaut manoeuvring unit - for the first time they made use of the hatch on Kvant 2 |
| 1990 Jan 26 |
15:11 |
Viktorenko and Serebrov complete space walk after 3 hours 2 minutes (90 minutes less than planned) |
| 1990 Feb 1 |
08:15 |
Viktorenko and Serebrov begin a space walk aimed at testing the SPK cosmonaut manoeuvring unit - Serebrov pilots it at distances up to 30 metres from the station |
| 1990 Feb 1 |
13:14 |
Viktorenko and Serebrov complete space walk after 4 hours 59 minutes |
| 1990 Feb 5 |
06:08 |
Viktorenko and Serebrov begin a space walk at further tests of the SPK cosmonaut manoeuvring unit - Viktorenko pilots it at distances up to 45 metres from the station |
| 1990 Feb 5 |
09:53 |
Viktorenko and Serebrov complete space walk after 3 hours 45 minutes |
| 1990 Feb 9 |
02:33 |
Progress M-2 undocks from Mir |
| 1990 Feb 9 |
07:07 |
Progress M-2 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 |
| 1990 Feb 11 |
06:16 |
Soyuz TM-9 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 185 x 219 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination with cosmonauts Anatoli Solovyov and Aleksandr Balandin aboard |
| 1990 Feb 13 |
06:37 |
Soyuz TM-9 docks with the Mir complex Kvant port, six minutes earlier than planned - orbit is 374 x 419 kilometres |
| 1990 Feb 19 |
01:06 |
Soyuz TM-8 undocks from Mir with Viktorenko and Serebrov aboard - during the manoeuvre, the crew notices that some of Soyuz TM-9 thermal protection blanket has come loose and can potentially cause problems for its thermal regulation system - a space walk will be needed to fix it |
| 1990 Feb 19 |
04:36 |
Soyuz TM-8 lands - 55 kilometres north-east of Arkalyk |
| 1990 Feb 21 |
03:56 |
Soyuz TM-9 undocks with Solovyov and Balandin aboard aboard |
| 1990 Feb 21 |
04:15 |
After Mir has completed a 180 degree rotation, Soyuz T-M9 docks with the forward port |
| 1990 Feb 28 |
23:10 |
Progress M-3 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 183 x 228 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination |
| 1990 Mar 3 |
01:04 |
Progress M-3 docks at the Mir complex Kvant docking port - orbit is 378 x 402 kilometres |
| 1990 Apr 27 |
20:24 |
Progress M-3 undocks from Mir |
| 1990 Apr 28 |
00:00 |
Progress M-3 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 |
| 1990 May 5 |
20:44 |
Progress 42 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 188 x 243 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination |
| 1990 May 7 |
22:45 |
Progress 42 docks at the Mir complex Kvant docking port - orbit is 384 x 398 kilometres |
| 1990 May 27 |
07:08 |
Progress 42 undocks from Mir |
| 1990 May 27 |
11:40 |
Progress 42 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 |
| 1990 May 28 |
11:45 |
Soyuz TM-9 undocks with Solovyov and Balandin aboard aboard |
| 1990 May 28 |
12:11 |
After Mir has completed a 180 degree rotation, Soyuz TM-9 docks the Kvant port |
| 1990 May 31 |
10:33 |
Kristall launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Proton rocket into 215 x 326 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination |
| 1990 Jun 6 |
11:30 |
Planned docking time for Kristall with Mir - the manoeuvre is called off when an attitude control thruster aboard Kristall fails |
| 1990 Jun 10 |
10:47 |
Kristall docks with Mir forward port - orbit is 376 x 391 kilometres |
| 1990 Jun 11 |
|
Using Mir 'Ljappa' manipulator arm, Kristall is detached from Mir forward port and moved to the lower port on the forward-facing docking hub, opposite Kvant 2 |
| 1990 Jul 3 |
22:07 |
Soyuz TM-9 undocks with Solovyov and Balandin aboard aboard |
| 1990 Jul 3 |
22:31 |
Soyuz TM-9 flies around Mir and then docks with Mir forward port |
| 1990 Jul 17 |
13:06 |
Solovyov and Balandin start a space walk to repair Soyuz TM-9 damaged insulation - using a ladder taken into space by Progress 42, they climb from the Kvant 2 airlock to the Soyuz ferry where they inspect the explosive bolts of the descent module separation system and use a combination of folding and pegging-back to ensure that the loose material does not obstruct Soyuz TM-9 sensors - on returning to Kvant 2 they discover that the hatch will not close properly because it was damaged on their exit as a result of it being pushed back on its hinges by residual air in Kvant 2 when the hatch was opened - they have to rely on an internal hatch within Kvant 2 to create an airlock for them to return inside Mir |
| 1990 Jul 17 |
20:21 |
Solovyov and Balandin complete their space walk after 7 hours 15 minutes |
| 1990 Jul 26 |
11:15 |
Solovyov and Balandin start a space walk to remove the ladders from the exterior of the station and they succeed in closing Kvant 2 hatch securely |
| 1990 Jul 26 |
14:46 |
Solovyov and Balandin complete their space walk after 3 hours 31 minutes |
| 1990 Aug 1 |
09:32 |
Soyuz TM-10 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 198 x 219 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination with cosmonauts Gennadi Manakov and Gennadi Strekalov aboard |
| 1990 Aug 3 |
11:45 |
Soyuz TM-10 docks with the Mir complex Kvant port - orbit is 371 x 382 kilometres |
| 1990 Aug 9 |
04:08 |
Soyuz TM-9 undocks from Mir with Solovyov and Balandin aboard |
| 1990 Aug 9 |
07:34 |
Soyuz TM-9 lands at latitude 67 degrees 17 minutes North, longitude 50 degrees 51 minutes East, near Arkalyk |
| 1990 Aug 14 |
04:00 |
Progress M-4 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 184 x 219 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination |
| 1990 Aug 16 |
05:26 |
Progress M-4 docks at Mir forward-facing port - orbit is 367 x 381 kilometres |
| 1990 Sep 17 |
12:42 |
Progress M-4 undocks from Mir |
| 1990 Sep 20 |
11:04 |
Progress M-4 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 |
| 1990 Sep 27 |
10:37 |
Progress M-5 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 187 x 228 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination |
| 1990 Sep 29 |
12:26 |
Progress M-5 docks at Mir forward-facing port - orbit is 371 x 407 kilometres |
| 1990 Oct 9 |
|
Originally planned date for Manakov and Strekalov to undertake a space walk to fix Kvant 2 hatch - it is postponed due to Strekalov exhibiting symptoms of a cold |
| 1990 Oct 29 |
21:45 |
Manakov and Strekalov start a space walk (postponed from 1990 Oct 9) to repair the Kvant 2 hatch damaged by Solvyov and Balandin 1990 July 17 - they do not succeed |
| 1990 Oct 30 |
01:30 |
Manakov and Strekalov complete their space walk after 3 hours 45 minutes |
| 1990 Nov 23 |
|
Manakov and Strekalov load experimental results into 'Raduga', a small descent capsule built into Progress M-5 |
| 1990 Nov 28 |
06:15 |
Progress M-5 undocks from Mir |
| 1990 Nov 28 |
10:24 |
Progress M-5 fires its manoeuvring engine to initiate re-entry and the main spacecraft burns up as a result of frictional heating after some 40 minutes |
| 1990 Nov 28 |
10:49 |
Progress M-5 Raduga capsule separates from the main spacecraft during the descent |
| 1990 Nov 28 |
11:04 |
Progress M-5 Raduga capsule lands near Arkalyk |
| 1990 Dec 2 |
08:13 |
Soyuz TM-11 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 200 x 218 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination with cosmonauts Viktor Afanasyev, Musakhi Manarov and Toyohiro Akiyama (a Japanese journalist) aboard |
| 1990 Dec 4 |
09:57 |
Soyuz TM-11 docks with Mir forward port - orbit is 372 x 405 kilometres |
| 1990 Dec 10 |
02:48 |
Soyuz TM-10 undocks from Mir with Manakov, Strekalov and Akiyama aboard |
| 1990 Dec 10 |
06:08 |
Soyuz TM-10 lands - 69 kilometres north-west of Arkalyk |
