The crew closed the hatch to the leaking Spektr Module and reported shortly thereafter that the pressure was stabilizing in the rest of the station. At 5:28 a.m. EDT (1:28 p.m. Moscow time), the crew reported that the pressure in the now isolated Spektr Module had dropped to 480 mm mercury and was continuing to drop. At its lowest, the normal Mir station pressure of approximately 750 mm dropped to 675 mm before beginning to rise. At approximately 5:30 a.m. EDT the station was in free drift and the Progress capsule was 100 meters from the station and moving away.

Before the collision, the station Commander, Vasily Tsibliev, was bringing the Progress capsule in manually using the teleoperator (TORU) system in the Core Module. Vasily reported to the ground that the Progress had come in very fast and he couldn't stop it.

The Spektr Module contains several NASA science experiments, some stored items, and Astronaut Mike Foale's personal effects. The Spektr experiments include a centrifuge, radiation monitoring equipment, and Earth observation equipment. The ramifications of this potential loss are still being assessed.

During a later comm pass at 6:53 a.m. EDT, the crew reported that the station pressure had stabilized at 692 mm Hg and that the Progress had moved to 2600 meters away from the station. To conserve power, the crew were told to shut down the thermal control systems and the ventilation systems in the Kvant-2 and Kristall modules as well as shut down the urine processing system. The station was initially spinning at approximately 1 degree per sec., due to the collision, but the spin is now stopped.

POSA

The latest word we have here is that the COSS (laptop computer) was in Spektr when it was hit. That is also where a lot of the US science equipment was kept. It is also where Mike's personal gear was kept. It is now in a vacuum... They had to disconnect everything they could, and cut those things that didn't have connectors near the hatch using bolt cutters, and when they shut the hatch I heard the closing was aided greatly by the out-rushing air!

I don't know for sure that the SpinRite disk was in Spektr when the collision occurred, but my guess is it was, since most everything else for Mike's personal use was. They are assessing the situation, as far as getting back in to Spektr, but the rumor here is they will write it off.

David

David