Launched on a Russian Proton rocket from the Baikonur launch center in central Asia, Spektr was lofted into orbit on May 20, 1995. The module was berthed at the radial port opposite Kvant 2 after Kristall was moved out of the way. Spektr carries four solar arrays and scientific equipment (including more than 1600 pounds of U.S. equipment).

Spektr was badly damaged at 5:18 a.m. EDT on June 25, 1997, when Progress M-34, an unmanned resupply vessel, crashed into the module during tests of the new TORU Progress guidance system. The module lost pressure and electricity and had to be shut completely down and sealed off from the remainder of the Mir complex. It had served as the living quarters for U.S. astronauts aboard Mir. The possibility of repairing the module is under consideration by the Russian Mir team.

Photographs of damage to the solar panels and hull of the Spektr module are available in the Mir Image Collection

• Spektr Launch Page at JPL

The focus of scientific study for this module is Earth observation, specifically natural resources and atmosphere. The equipment onboard is supplied by both Russian and the United States.

Scientific equipment on Spektr includes:

• Pion, Lira and Buton equipment for atmospheric research.
• Faza and Feniks equipment for surface studies.
• Astra-2 equipment for atmospheric trace constituent monitoring.
• Taurus and Grif equipment for monitoring Mir's induced x-ray and gamma-ray background.

Sources:
ISS Phase I - Space Station Mir
Shuttle-Mir Web: Mir Components - NASA

Wednesday, 31-Dec-1969 18:00:00 CST
CSR/TSGC Team Web