Kristall Cutaway Kristall is the third addition to the Mir core vehicle. Kristall is divided into an instrument/cargo and instrument/docking compartment. 29,973 bytes. 485 x 213 pixels.

Originally the modules attached to the Mir base block were to be of the NPO Energia 37KS design. Design and fabrication reached an advanced phase when it was decided that the separate tug concept resulted in too low a net scientific payload (3 tonnes). Integrating the tug with the module was expected to increase this to 5 tonnes and provide some reserve engine capability at Mir and additional pressurised volume. Accordingly the 37KS modules for Mir were cancelled in 1983. Competitive designs for integrated space station modules were submitted by KB Salyut and NPO Energia. The KB Salyut 77K modules were derived from the cancelled TKS manned ferry. The competing proposal from NPO Energia combined the 37KS module with the engine unit of Mir. In June 1984 the KB Salyut design was selected. The revised Mir program plan was to assemble the station over a three year period, and operate it for ten years (versus the original one year/five years).

Kristall was a dedicated zero-gravity materials and biological science research module. It was to have been launched to Mir ten months after Kvant-2, in December 1989, but problems with the Kurs automatic rendezvous and docking system resulted in it being launched in January 1990, just over a month after Kvant-2.

Description

Kristall was the third addition to the Mir core vehicle and was primarily designed to investigate materials processing technologies in the space environment. The module also supported biological, Earth observation and astrophysical research. The module originally docked with the station on June 10, 1990 at the Mir forward axial port. After that it was moved several times by the small manipulator arm on Mir to accommodate the addition of the Spektr module to the station and to allow rendezvous with the US Shuttle at Kristall's main docking port. The module was transferred to its final location at the Mir transfer compartment's starboard radial port on July 17, 1995.

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Kristall Large Credit: © Mark Wade. 2,478 bytes. 148 x 377 pixels.

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Equipment delivered with Kristall included:

• Krater 5, Optizon 1, and CSK-1/Kristallizator semiconductor materials processing furnaces.
• Zona 2/3 materials processing furnaces.
• Glazar 2 UV telescope - cosmic radiation studies.
• Priroda 5 Earth resources camera system - consists of 2 KFA-1000 film cameras.
• Svet plant cultivation unit.
• Mariya magnetic spectrometer.
• Marina gamma ray telescope.
• Buket gamma ray spectrometer.
• Granar astrophysics spectrometer.
• Ainur electrophoresis unit.

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Kristall Credit: © Mark Wade. 2,316 bytes. 202 x 294 pixels.

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Total Length: 11.9 m. Maximum Diameter: 4.2 m. Total Mass: 19,500 kg. Total Payload: 7,000 kg. Total Propellants: 2,500 kg. Electrical System: Solar cells.

Design and fabrication reached an advanced phase when it was decided that the separate tug concept resulted in too low a net scientific payload (3 tonnes). Integrating the tug with the module was expected to increase this to 5 tonnes and provide some reserve engine capability at Mir and additional pressurised volume. Accordingly the 37KS modules for Mir were cancelled. Work on the 37KE experimental module (Kvant) and the 37KB Buran modules continued. The function of the 37KS modules was taken up by modules by KB Salyut derived from the FGB. A competing proposal from NPO Energia for a unified spacecraft that combined the 37KS module with the engine unit of Mir was rejected.

Mir module; materials processing laboratory. Docked with Mir. Kristall: Mass: 19,500 kg. Mass on docking 17,200 kg. Length: 11. 9 m or 13. 73 m?. Solar array span 36 m. Diameter: 4. 35 m. Payload: 7,000 kg. Two compartments. Instrument-Payload Compartment contains food containers, and industrial processing units Krater 3, Optizon 1, Zona 02, and Zona 03. 0. 8 m hatch leads to Junction-Docking compartment. This contains spherical universal docker with two APAS-89 androgynous docking units. These will be used to dock with Buran shuttle and 1,000 kg X-ray telescope to be delivered by Buran in 1991. Third opening houses earth observation cameras.
Launch originally planned for 30 March 1990. Delayed to April 18, then further delayed due to computer chip problems.
Launched 31 May 1990 12:33 GMT. Docking scheduled June 6 at 12:36 but delayed due to problem with one of Kristall's orientation engines. Docking successful 10 June at 12:47. On June 11 moved to side port. Work within module began 15 June.
Spektr: Late 1991 launch. Remote sensing work. Occupies port opposite Kvant 2. Before this occurs Kristall solar arrays will be relocated to Kvant.
Officially: Specialized module. Experimental-industrial production of semi-conducting materials; refinement of biologically active substances for the production of new medicinal preparations. Cultivation of crystals of different albumine compositions and hybridizatio n of cells. Conduct of astrophysical and technical experiments.

After that it was moved several times by the small manipulator arm on Mir to accommodate the addition of the Spektr module to the station and to allow rendezvous with the US Shuttle at Kristall's main docking port. The module was transferred to its final location at the Mir transfer compartment's starboard radial port on July 17, 1995.

The module was transferred by the small manipulator arm on Mir to its final location at the Mir transfer compartment's starboard radial port.

• 8 - NASA Shuttle-Mir Web, NASA, 1997. HTML when accessed: http://shuttle-mir.nasa.gov/ops/mir/
• 20 - Matson, Dr Wayne R, Editor, Cosmonautics - A Colorful History, Cosmos Books, Washington DC, 1994.
• 182 - Portree, David S. F., Mir Hardware Heritage, NASA Reference Publication 1357, March 1995.
• 453 - Hendrickx, Bart, Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, "The Origins and Evolution of Mir and Its Modules", Vol. 51, P. 203-222, 1998..