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Article: Shuttle Leaks Cause Rift In U.S.-Russian Venture;Rendezvous With Space Station Mir at Issue
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- February 5, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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Russian space officials today balked at the idea of letting a
leaky U.S. space shuttle get near their space station Mir, as flight
planners in Kaliningrad and Houston experienced their first taste of
joint decision-making in the fledgling partnership.
The shuttle Discovery is scheduled to close to within 38 feet of
Mir Monday afternoon and then circle it, in preparation for later
missions during which an American spaceplane will dock with it.
But the Russians today expressed concern that propellant leaking
from three of 44 maneuvering jets aboard the U.S. orbiter might
contaminate delicate optical and other surfaces on Mir. They proposed
that the approach be limited to no less than 1,000 ...