How Long Can Mir Crew Last? Astronauts Conserve Energy And Air As Russia And U.S. Plan For Repairs, Consider Evacuation

As the crippled space station Mir hurtled through sunlight early today, an American astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts sweltered as they huddled quietly, trying to conserve air.

While the partially darkened ship orbits on half power 244 miles above Earth, the question is: How long can the three men aboard last like that?

Scientists in the two major space-faring nations are pondering the answer and trying to assemble a repair kit, which may take weeks to reach the 100-ton spacecraft.

Meanwhile, some members of Congress are urging the National Aeronautics and Space Administration not to send any more U.S. astronauts to the 11-year-old Russian space station, plagued by other emergencies this year including an on-board fire.

On Day 3 of the current crisis, life was better aboard Mir - but far from normal.

“The seriousness is still there,” said Frank Culbertson, manager of the U.S. Mir-Shuttle Program, “but the crew is in a safe and stable environment.”

Culbertson said it will be two weeks until the Russians will be able to begin repairing the space station’s electrical system. And they now say they probably won’t attempt to plug the leak in one of the space station’s six airtight compartments.

On Wednesday, a cargo rocket full of garbage slammed into the space station during a test of a new docking system. The impact tore a hole in one pressurized compartment and damaged a solar panel, leaving the motor-home-sized orbiter with only half its normal power.

As oxygen hissed into space and the astronauts’ ears popped as if they were in a fast-falling airplane, they raced to disconnect electrical and ventilation lines and slammed an airtight hatch. The move saved their lives, but it separated them from access to about 50 percent of their power.

The scene brought back memories of the near-disaster 27 years ago aboard the Apollo 13 moon ship, when an oxygen tank exploded. But if things get worse, the three men aboard Mir have the equivalent of a lifeboat hitched outside - a Russian space capsule that could carry them to an Earth landing.

NASA has one space shuttle ready for launch, but it’s Columbia, which doesn’t have the docking equipment needed to rendezvous with Mir. Readying another shuttle for a rescue mission could take weeks.

The depressurization aboard Mir wiped out scores of research projects and equipment - including computers that held months of data from experiments. Salvaging it was unlikely, Culbertson said.

In the command module Thursday, American astronaut Michael Foale and his two Russian counterparts kept as still as they could. Their lives depend on how much they can reduce their oxygen demand until repairs are made.

Also on Mir are Russian cosmonauts Vasily Tsibliyev and Alexander Lauztkin.

They sat sweating in 80-degree temperatures because Mir’s temperature and humidity controls have been shut down to save power.

The only light moment of the day came while Foale was talking to NASA about one of his experiments - a box of insects.

“The only thing I am worried about is the beetles,” Foale said. “The beetles are living on batteries.”

Don’t fret. The beetle batteries will last 30 days, a controller radioed back.

Foale also asked for a shaving kit, a fresh toothbrush and three tubes of toothpaste. Most of his personal gear was sealed in the abandoned compartment.

NASA had planned to send two more astronauts to Mir for three-month stints, one in September and Spokane’s Michael Anderson in January. Foale is the fifth American to live on Mir.

But Rep. Dave Weldon, the Republican congressman who represents Florida’s Space Coast, said he would oppose efforts to send more astronauts to Mir.

“This is one of the most serious dangers since Apollo 13,” Weldon said. “Space has its risks. … We have gotten what we are going to get from this venture.”

Weldon said the money that can be saved from canceling two shuttle flights to Mir should be used to pay for cost overruns on the International Space Station. Those overruns have been caused by Russian delays in delivering hardware for the proposed space station.

Since February, four serious and two potentially deadly mishaps have occurred aboard Mir, said Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis.

In April, an oxygen canister burst into flames. Later, Mir’s main oxygen system malfunctioned.