Priroda
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The Priroda (Russian: Природа; lit. Nature) module was the seventh and final module of the Mir Space Station. Its primary purpose was to conduct Earth resource experiments through remote sensing and to develop and verify remote sensing methods.
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[edit] Specifications
- Mass: 19,700 kg
- Length: 9.7 m
- Diameter: 4.35 m
- Habitable volume: 66 m3
[edit] Description
Priroda was originally designed to carry a deployable solar array. However, due to delays, solar arrays were planned for other parts of Mir and a solar array was not included in the launch configuration. Instead, during free flight, Priroda was powered by two redundant sets of batteries totaling 168. Priroda has an unpressurized instrument compartment and a habitable instrument/payload compartment. The unpressurized compartment contains propulsion system components, EVA handrails, and scientific equipment. The instrument/payload compartment is divided into two sections. There is the outer instrument section and the innner habitation and work compartment. Experiments on Priroda were provided by twelve different nations. These experiments covered microwave, visible, near infrared, and infrared spectral regions using both passive and active sounding methods.
[edit] Launch and Docking
Priroda was launched on April 23, 1996 on a Proton rocket. After reaching orbit, an electrical connector failure caused the amount of power available on Priroda to be cut in half. Due to the electrical problem, Priroda would only have one attempt at docking before power would be lost. This caused some concern for ground controllers because most other modules failed to dock on their first attempt. However, Priroda docked with no problems on April 26. After being moved to its permanent location at the +Z docking port on the base block, Priroda was connected to the rest of the station's electrical system which allowed to run off power from solar arrays on other modules. The crew onboard then removed the batteries from Priroda and stored them in Progress M-31 for a destructive re-entry.
During the last expedition to Mir in 2000, power loads were reportedly so high, that the crew was not able to activate any of Priroda's payloads.
[edit] External links
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| Soviet modules | Core Module · Kvant-1 · Kvant-2 · Kristall |  |
| American-financed modules | Spektr · Docking Module · Priroda | |
| Ships | Soyuz · Progress · Space Shuttle (during Shuttle-Mir Program) | |
