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Wikipedia / Priroda

Priroda () was the seventh and final module of the Mir space station. Its primary purpose was to conduct Earth resource experiments through remote sensing, to develop and verify remote sensing methods. The control system of Priroda was developed by Khartron.

Description

Priroda, like previous modules on Mir, was based on the 77K (TKS) design. It was originally designed to carry a deployable solar array. However due to delays, and Mir having solar arrays already planned, Priroda did not launch with an array, and instead was powered by batteries.

The module included both a pressurised crewed compartment and an unpressurised instrument compartment, which had scientific equipment mounted externally; which were provided by twelve different nations. These experiments covered microwave, visible, near infrared, and infrared spectral regions using both passive and active sounding methods.

Remote sensing instruments:

  • Alissa lidar - measured cloud height, structure, optical properties. 150 m vertical resolution, 1km horizontal resolution

  • Centaur 400MHz receiver - used to gather ocean buoy data

  • DOPI interferometer - studies gases and aerosols. 2.4-20 micrometer

  • Greben ocean altimeter - 10cm resolution, 13.76GHz, 2.5km swath, nadir viewing

  • Ikar N nadir microwave radiometers - 0.3, 0.8, 1.35, 2.25, 6.0cm wavelengths, 60km swath, resolution 60km and 0.15 K

  • Ikar Delta scanning microwave radiometer system - scanned 40° off track with a 400km swath. 4.0, 0.3, 0.8, 1.35cm wavelengths, resolution 8 – 50km and 0.15 - 0.5 K

  • Ikar P panoramic microwave radiometers - 2.25, 6.0cm wavelengths, 750km swath, resolution 75km and 0.15 K

  • Istok 1 IR spectroradiometer - wavelengths between 4.0-16.0 micrometer, 7km swath, 0.7 x 2.8km resolution

  • MOS-Obzor spectrometer - measured aerosol profile and ocean reflectance. 17 channels between 0.750-1.01 micrometer, 80km swath, 700 m resolution

  • MOMS 02P Earth imager - 4 channels between 0.440-0.810 micrometer. Multi spectral, stereo or high resolution data, 6km resolution. German instrument, initially flown aboard Spacelab D2 on Shuttle.

  • MSU-E2 high resolution optical scanner - 10 m resolution, 3 channels between 0.5 and 0.9 micrometer, nadir viewing, 2 x 24.5km swaths

  • Ozon M spectrometer - used for ozone/aerosol profiles. 160 channels between 0.257-1.155 micrometer, 1km altitude resolution

  • Travers Synthetic Aperture Radar - 1.28/3.28GHz, 50km swath, 38° look angle, 50 m resolution.

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 it to run off power from solar arrays on other modules. The crew on board 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.

Priroda, along with the other Mir components, were destroyed when the Mir station was de-orbited in March 2001, entering the Earth's atmosphere.

References