NASA gives the go for Mir mission

Space shuttle Atlantis was scheduled to leave as planned on a night flight with astronaut David Wolf.

NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin insisted his decision was not based on emotion or politics, but rather science. He relied on two concurring, last-minute safety reviews conducted by outside experts.

"In light of the increased scrutiny and heightened emotion, I can assure you: This intensely rigorous internal and external review of the shuttle-Mir analyzed thoroughly risk, readiness and, foremost, safety," Goldin said.

In recent weeks, NASA had come under increasing pressure from members of Congress and others not to put another American aboard. But U.S. and Russian space officials had warned that if the United States pulled out, it would be an insult to Moscow that could jeopardize the project to build an international space station.

Wolf didn't learn for certain until late Wednesday that he would be flying to Mir for a full, four-month stay. Earlier, he had given Goldin "a resounding yes" when asked if NASA should press ahead.

"It's going to be a fun mission. It's going to be great," shuttle-Mir program manager Frank Culbertson quoted the 41-year-old, never-married Wolf as saying.

During its 10-day flight, the shuttle will bring back Michael Foale, the fifth American to live on Mir. Foale has spent 4 1/2 months aboard the space station. In addition, Atlantis and its crew of seven will deliver a new computer along with other repair gear and urgently needed supplies.

Gen. Yuri Glazkov, deputy commander of the cosmonaut training center near Moscow, insisted that he would never send anyone to Mir and "expose him to danger."

"Some people of the media say it's Russian roulette, something like that. It's not roulette," Glazkov said. "It's Russian ability to assess the situation. It's Russian courage and self-assurance."

Goldin said there are always risks in spaceflight, and NASA officials are "deeply touched" by the public interest in the flight and fears for the Mir astronauts' well-being.

But "the decision to continue our joint participation aboard Mir should not be based on emotion or politics," he said. "It should not be based on fear. A decision should be based - and is based - on scientific and technical assessment of the mission safety and the agency's ability to gain add experience and knowledge that cannot be gained elsewhere."

Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner, chair of the House Science Committee, which opposes sending more Americans to Mir, said he does not believe Goldin was unswayed by U.S.-Russian relations. What's more, he said he hopes the safety evaluations are "not a NASA whitewash of the many significant safety risks aboard Mir."

"We have learned from the Challenger accident that ignoring safety warnings can lead to tragedy and a setback of space exploration for years," the congressperson said.

NASA's own inspector general also has questioned the safety and value of Mir, especially since a June 25 collision that ruptured a lab module, wiped out half the U.S. experiments and cut power on the 11 1/2-year-old station.

NASA already has paid most of the $472 million to send astronauts to Mir over the past two years. Space officials contend it is money well spent in order to avoid problems on the international space station, to be assembled in orbit beginning next summer.

Gemini and Apollo astronaut Thomas Stafford, who headed one of the safety review panels that reported to Goldin, said his task force determined "all possible actions" have been taken by the Russians to preclude a fire like the one on Mir in February and a cargo-ship crash like the one at Mir in June. A second safety review committee also endorsed the mission.

The biggest concern right now on Mir is the central computer, needed to keep the sprawling station oriented properly. The computer has broken down repeatedly in recent weeks and, although it appears to be working fine now, U.S. and Russian officials worry what might happen if it crashes just before Atlantis pulls up.

Engineers in both countries have devised ways to attempt the docking if the computer fails again.

09-26-97