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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Space Station Crew Thankful To Be Alive

Compiled From Wire Services

Russian officials were telling the weary crew of the crippled space station Mir that they looked great, but the outpost’s commander put the station’s perils in perspective with his response Sunday.

“We are alive, thank God,” Mir Commander Vasily Tsibliev said as the first interior images of the Mir and its crew were broadcast early Sunday.

Conditions on Mir continued to improve slightly Sunday with the bathroom, rotation control devices and carbon dioxide remover working. An oxygen generator will be turned on today.

The station gained a little more power and turned on a few more lights Sunday. That allowed the crew to hold a 17-minute video conference with Russian media.

Tsibliev, Flight Engineer Alexander Lazutkin and American astronaut Michael Foale managed wan smiles and jokes about Foale’s spiky haircut in the broadcast.

Foale said Wednesday’s crash won’t keep him from flying in space again, causing Tsibliev to praise the American astronaut.

“He helped us a lot,” Tsibliev said.