This successor edition picks up the story where the first edition left off in 1997, and runs through to Mir's de-orbiting in March 2001, providing the definitive account of the Mir Space Station. The book reviews the origins of the Soviet space station programme, in particular the highly successful Salyuts 6 and 7, describes Mir's structure, environment, power supply and maneuvering systems, and provides a comprehensive account of how it was assembled and how it operated in orbit.

Tells how the Soviet Union's experience with a succession of Salyut space stations led to the development of Mir, which was assembled in space, piece by piece, between 1982 and 1996 and became an international research laboratory whose technology went on to form the 'core modules' of the International Space Station.

Reviews

From the reviews:

"This book by David Harland is written to his usual high standard. It tells the history of Mir from its early planning stage to its spectacular destruction in 2001. This brings together the complete history of a remarkable spacecraft which made living in space possible. If you want to get a clear picture of how the Mir station started ... developed and grew and was used, this is the book." (Rex Hall, Spaceflight, Vol. 48, March, 2006)

"The history of the Mir Space Station, initiated with a launch in 1986 and continuously inhabited for a decade, is important for its technological achievements ... . Harland, a space historian, presents a very detailed survey of the launches, cosmonauts, engineering details, problems, and solutions. ... The book is well illustrated with photographs of people and spacecraft ... . a significant addition to the literature of space science and technology. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through professionals." (A. M. Strauss, CHOICE, Vol. 42 (11), July, 2005)

Book Information
ISBN 9780387230115
Author David M. Harland
Format Paperback
Page Count 424
Imprint Springer-Verlag New York Inc.
Publisher Springer-Verlag New York Inc.