A problem with
an oxygen-generating device on the Mir space station last night set off
fire alarms and caused minor damage to some hardware on the station. No
injuries to any of the six crewmembers on board were reported. The fire
was located in the Kvant 1 module.
The fire, which
began at 10:35 p.m. Sunday, Moscow time, burned for about 90 seconds.
The crew was exposed to heavy smoke for five to seven minutes and donned
masks in response. After completing physical exams of everyone on board,
U.S. astronaut Jerry Linenger, a physician, reported that all
crewmembers are in good health. Medical personnel have directed them to
wear goggles and masks until an analysis of the Mir atmosphere has been
completed.
Wearing
a Mask
"Candle" housing
Lithium
perchlorate candles are burned to generate supplemental oxygen when more
than three people are on board the space station. The oxygen-generating
candles usually burn for five to 20 minutes. Russian officials believe
the problem began when a crack in the oxygen generator's shell allowed
the contents of the cartridge to leak into the hardware in which it was
located. Crewmembers extinguished the fire with foam from three fire
extinguishers, each containing two liters of a water-based liquid.
The damage to
some of Mir's hardware resulted from excessive heat rather than from
open flame. The heat destroyed the hardware in which the device, known
as a "candle," was burning, as well as the panel covering the device.
The crew also reported that the outer insulation layers on various
cables were melted by the heat. It is reported by Russian flight
controllers that all Mir systems continue to operate normally, however.
"It is
unfortunate that this incident occurred, but we are thankful that there
were no injuries," said Frank Culbertson, Director of the Phase One
Shuttle-Mir program. "Russian management and operations specialists have
been very informative as to what happened, and we are working closely
with them on evaluating the health of the crew and how best to respond
to the damage," added Culbertson.
"The crew did a
great job handling the fire, and the ground support has been excellent
on both sides."
In addition to
Linenger, the Mir crewmembers include Mir 22 cosmonauts Valery Korzun
and Alexander Kaleri, Mir 23 cosmonauts Vasily Tsibliev and Alexander
Lazutkin, and German researcher Reinhold Ewald, representing the German
space agency, DARA. Korzun, Kaleri and Ewald are scheduled to return to
Earth on Sunday as previously planned to wrap up a six-month mission for
Korzun and Kaleri and three weeks of scientific experiments for Ewald.
Linenger will remain aboard Mir until mid-May with Tsibliev and
Lazutkin.
Officials are
evaluating possible impacts to the mission and its science activities,
as technical experts at the Russian Mission Control Center investigate
the incident. The burned panel and other materials may be returned to
Earth with Korzun, Kaleri and Ewald on Sunday for further analysis.
