Docking With Mir :: essays research papers

Docking With MirLast year something horrific took place, but it wasnt in a laboratory. Itwasnt under the ocean, and it wasnt on the land. It was in space. The move into of the United Statess Space Shuttle Atlantis and the Russian SpaceStation Mir was an definitive step towards international cooperation in space.This is not the first time the U.S. has been in contact with Russia inspace matters. In 1965, an American Apollo capsule and a Russian Soyuz modulewere locked in orbital tango 245 miles above the earth, two crews tense withthe feeling of peace and rivalry at the same time. In the past few years,American astronauts have used the Russian pedagogy facility at the Cosmodrome toprepare for work on the Mir space station. We couldnt agree up the hope of peaceand freedom.Launch Day had arrived June 29, 1995. During launch and ascent, therewasnt much to think about except the thrill of the ride. Then the focus rose.In less than thirty-six hours, they would have to close a geol ogical fault of four thousandmiles at an altitude of 245 miles while traveling at 17,500 miles per hour, onlyto have to move within three inches and two degrees of a quickly moving, veryfragile object in space. One meek thrust of a poorly aligned engine could cost ane of four space-worthy shuttles and the worlds first and only long-term spacestation.Docking was oer with soon, and was followed by the cosmonauts of Mirgreeting the astronauts of Atlantis. Gifts of flowers, candy and fruit weregiven by the Americans, who in return, following a Russian tradition, receivedgifts of bread and salt. Knowing the splendor of the military military commission, the Russians, aswell as the Americans, forced the good nature of the mission to be seen. Afteran exchange in the crew of Mir, Atlantis disengaged the docking clamps, andreturned home.This mission was important to the future of the conquest of space, forthe American scientists need help with the conception of the planned International