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 |
| 1996 Feb 8 |
14:03 |
Gidzenko and Reiter start a space walk to retrieve scientific samples from the European Space Exposure Facility (ESEF) on the outside of Mir that Reiter placed there 1995 October |
| 1996 Feb 8 |
17:08 |
Gidzenko and Reiter finish their space walk after 3 hrs 6 minutes - earlier than anticipated due to one of their power tools having insufficient strength to complete the job |
| 1996 Feb 21 |
12:34 |
Soyuz TM-23 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 200 x 234 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination with cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko, Yuri Onufrienko and Yuri Usachyov aboard |
| 1996 Feb 22 |
07:24 |
Progress M-30 docks automatically with the rear port of Kvant - orbit is 391 x 399 kilometres |
| 1996 Feb 22 |
11:02 |
Progress M-30 docks automatically with the rear port of Kvant - orbit is 391 x 399 kilometres |
| 1996 Feb 23 |
14:20 |
Soyuz TM-23 docks with Mir's forward-facing port - orbit is 391 x 398 kilometres |
| 1996 Feb 29 |
07:20 |
Soyuz TM-22 undocks from Mir with Gidzenko, Avdeyev and Reiter aboard |
| 1996 Feb 29 |
09:47 |
Soyuz TM-22 makes its retro-fire |
| 1996 Feb 29 |
10:42 |
Soyuz TM-22 lands |
| 1996 Mar 15 |
01:04 |
Onufrienko and Usachyov start a space walk to install a second 'Strela' crane on the outside of Mir |
| 1996 Mar 15 |
06:56 |
Onufrienko and Usachyov finish their space walk after 5 hours 52 minutes |
| 1996 Mar 19 |
23:45 |
Planned launch of Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-76 (due 1996 Mar 20 08:34) postponed because of high winds |
| 1996 Mar 22 |
08:13 |
Space Shuttle Atlantis launched from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-76 into orbit of 226 x 295 kilometres at 51.6 degrees inclination with crew consisting of Kevin Chilton (commander), Richard Searfoss (pilot), mission specialists Ronald Sega, Michael Clifford, Linda Godwin, and Shannon Lucid |
| 1996 Mar 24 |
02:34 |
Atlantis docks with the Orbiter Docking System unit on the front port of KristallKristall - orbit is 390 x 398 kilometres |
| 1996 Mar 27 |
06:36 |
Godwin and Clifford start a space walk from Atlantis to move equipment from the cargo bay to the exterior of the Mir Orbiter Docking System and to remove a camera from the outside of the Orbiter Docking System |
| 1996 Mar 27 |
12:38 |
Godwin and Clifford finish their space walk after 6 hours 2 minutes |
| 1996 Mar 29 |
01:08 |
Atlantis undocks from Mir carring Chilton, Searfoss, Sega, Clifford and Godwin - it performs a flyaround of Mir before departing |
| 1996 Mar 30 |
|
A plan is made to bring-back Atlantis one day early due to the forecast weather in the Kennedy area on the originally planned day - in the even, weather prevents the attempt being made |
| 1996 Mar 31 |
12:23 |
Atlantis fires its OMS engines to initiate re-entry |
| 1996 Mar 31 |
13:28 |
Atlantis lands on the Edwards Air Force Base runway |
| 1996 Mar 31 |
13:29 |
Wheel stop - Atlantis STS-76 mission is over |
| 1996 Apr 23 |
11:48 |
Priroda launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Proton rocket into 214 x 328 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination, on reaching orbit - controllers discover that the module is short of battery power (it has no solar panels) and will only be able to make one docking attempt with Mir |
| 1996 Apr 26 |
12:43 |
Priroda docks with Mir forward port - orbit is 391 x 396 kilometres |
| 1996 Apr 27 |
|
Using Mir's 'Ljappa' manipulator arm, Priroda is undocked from Mir forward port and moved to the left hand (as viewed from inside Mir) port on the forward-facing docking hub |
| 1996 May 5 |
07:04 |
Progress M-31 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 186 x 227 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination |
| 1996 May 7 |
08:54 |
Progress M-31 docks automatically with docks automatically with Mir's forward-facing port - orbit is 391 x 396 kilometres |
| 1996 May 20 |
22:50 |
Onufrienko and Usachyov start a space walk to move a solar panel from its storage location on the Orbiter Docking System and fix it to Kvant - they use the 'Strela-2' crane |
| 1996 May 21 |
04:10 |
Onufrienko and Usachyov finish their space walk after 5 hours 20 minutes |
| 1996 May 24 |
20:47 |
Onufrienko and Usachyov start a space walk to complete electrical connection of the new solar panel on Kvant |
| 1996 May 25 |
02:30 |
Onufrienko and Usachyov finish their space walk after 5 hours 43 minutes |
| 1996 May 30 |
18:20 |
Onufrienko and Usachyov start a space walk to install the European MOMS-2 multi-spectral Earth Resources camera on the Priroda science platform |
| 1996 May 30 |
22:40 |
Onufrienko and Usachyov finish their space walk after 4 hours 20 minutes |
| 1996 Jun 6 |
16:56 |
Onufrienko and Usachyov start a space walk to retrieve and install long duration exposure samples on the outside of Mir |
| 1996 Jun 6 |
20:30 |
Onufrienko and Usachyov finish their space walk after 3 hours 34 minutes |
| 1996 Jun 13 |
12:45 |
Onufrienko and Usachyov start a space walk to undertake some assembly work and to film a sequence involving a assembled a 1.3 metre-tall aluminum and nylon copy of a Pepsi can and a banner - 'Even in space . . . Pepsi is changing the script' |
| 1996 Jun 13 |
18:27 |
Onufrienko and Usachyov finish their space walk after 5 hours 42 minutes |
| 1996 Jul 1 |
02:30 |
Space Shuttle Atlantis starts its rollout to the Pad for mission STS-79 |
| 1996 Jul 31 |
20:00 |
Progress M-32 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 186 x 229 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination |
| 1996 Aug 1 |
16:44 |
Progress M-31 undocks from Mir |
| 1996 Aug 1 |
19:44 |
Progress M-31 makes a retro-rocket firing |
| 1996 Aug 1 |
20:33 |
Progress M-31 enters the upper atmosphere and burns up as a result of frictional heating |
| 1996 Aug 1 |
22:03 |
Progress M-32 docks automatically with docks automatically with Mir's forward-facing port - orbit is 375 x 391kilometres |
| 1996 Aug 17 |
13:18 |
Soyuz TM-24 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into 191 x 226 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination with cosmonauts Valery Korzun, Viktor Kaleri and Claudie Haigneré (France) aboard - Claudie is married to ESA astronaut Jean-Pierre Haigneré |
| 1996 Aug 18 |
09:24 |
Approximate time - Progress M-32 undocks from Mir's forward port to clear the way fro the upcoming STS-79 Shuttle mission |
| 1996 Aug 19 |
14:50 |
Soyuz TM-24 docks automatically with the rear port of Kvant - orbit is 375 x 390 kilometres |
| 1996 Sep 2 |
04:20 |
Soyuz TM-23 undocks from Mir with Onufrienko, Usachyov and Claudie Haigneré aboard |
| 1996 Sep 2 |
06:47 |
Soyuz TM-23 makes its retro-fire |
| 1996 Sep 2 |
07:41 |
Soyuz TM-23 lands |
| 1996 Sep 3 |
09:35 |
After 16 days of free flight, Progress M-32 re-docks with Mir - this time at the rear port of Kvant - orbit is 375 x 389 kilometres |
| 1996 Sep 4 |
09:24 |
Space Shuttle Atlantis starts to be rolled back to the Assembly Building because of the impending passage of Hurricane 'Fran' |
| 1996 Sep 5 |
02:51 |
Space Shuttle Atlantis starts its return to the pad after hurricane 'Fran' has passed |
| 1996 Sep 16 |
08:54 |
Space Shuttle Atlantis launched from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center on mission STS-79 into orbit of 244 x 293 kilometres at 51.6 degrees inclination with crew consisting of William Readdy (commander), Terrence Wilcutt (pilot), mission specialists Jerome Apt, Thomas Akers, Carl Walz, and John Blaha |
| 1996 Sep 19 |
03:13 |
Atlantis docks with the Orbiter Docking System unit on the front port of KristallKristall - orbit is 376 x 388 kilometres |
| 1996 Sep 24 |
01:31 |
Atlantis undocks from Mir carring Readdy, Wilcutt, Apt, Akers, Walz and Lucid - it performs a flyaround of Mir before departing |
| 1996 Sep 26 |
11:06 |
Atlantis fires its OMS engines to initiate re-entry |
| 1996 Sep 26 |
12:13 |
Atlantis lands on the Edwards Air Force Base runway |
| 1996 Sep 26 |
12:14 |
Wheel stop - Atlantis STS-76 mission is over |
| 1996 Nov 19 |
23:20 |
Progress M-33 launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome by Soyuz rocket into approximately 185 x 224 kilometre orbit at 51.6 degrees inclination |
| 1996 Nov 20 |
19:51 |
Progress M-32 undocks from Mir for the second time |
| 1996 Nov 20 |
22:42 |
Progress M-32 fires its retro rocket - it enters the upper atmosphere about 50 minutes later and burns up as a result of frictional heating |
| 1996 Nov 22 |
01:01 |
Progress M-33 docks automatically with the rear port of Kvant - orbit is 371 x 390 kilometres |
| 1996 Dec 2 |
15:54 |
Korzun and Kaleri start a space walk to undertake further work on the Kvant solar panel |
| 1996 Dec 2 |
21:51 |
Korzun and Kaleri finish their space walk after 5 hours 57 minutes |
| 1996 Dec 9 |
13:52 |
Korzun and Kaleri start a space walk to finish work on the Kvant solar panel |
| 1996 Dec 9 |
20:28 |
Korzun and Kaleri finish their space walk after 6 hours 36 minutes |
