Kvant 2 Cutaway Media Gallery

Kvant-2 was a utility module launched to the Mir station. It provided an airlock, additional electric power, and additional gyrodynes for orienting the station.

Originally the modules attached to the Mir base block were to be of the NPO Energia 37KS design. Design and fabrication reached an advanced phase when it was decided that the separate tug concept resulted in too low a net scientific payload (3 metric tons). Integrating the tug with the module was expected to increase this to 5 metric tons and provide some reserve engine capability at Mir and additional pressurized volume. Accordingly the 37KS modules for Mir were cancelled in 1983. Competitive designs for integrated space station modules were submitted by KB Salyut and NPO Energia. The KB Salyut 77K modules were derived from the cancelled TKS manned ferry. The competing proposal from NPO Energia combined the 37KS module with the engine unit of Mir. In June 1984 the KB Salyut design was selected. The revised Mir program plan was to assemble the station over a three year period, and operate it for ten years (versus the original one year/five years).

Kvant-2, which provided an airlock, additional electric power, and additional gyrodynes for orienting the station, was the first completed. It was to have been launched in March 1989, but the Kurs automatic rendezvous and docking system had suffered four failures in recent flights due to faulty microcircuits from PO Elektronika in Voronezh. Launch was delayed until October 1989 while the chips were replaced and the revised system fully tested. This caused a corresponding disruption in the Mir flight schedule. The spacecraft was finally launched on 26 November 1989 and docked on December 6 at the forward axial port of the Mir base block. It was transferred by a small manipulator arm on Mir to its permanent location at a radial port of the Mir Base Block's transfer compartment on December 8. Kvant-2 also delivered the Salyut-5B digital computer that would be used for control of the space station (this computer was originally to have been launched with Mir, then on Kvant).

Kvant-2 Credit- © Mark Wade

Description

Kvant 2 was designed to host life science, materials science, and Earth observation experiments. It also carried a substantial amount of equipment to improve living conditions and operations of the Mir complex, including the Elektron electrolysis system to provide oxygen from recycled water, a water supply system, two water regeneration systems, sanitation facilities, a shower, and an airlock compartment

The module was divided into three pressurized compartments: instrumentation/cargo, science instrument, and airlock. The total pressurized volume was 61 cubic meters. The airlock provided EVA capability and also contained a cosmonaut maneuvering unit that increased the range and complexity of tasks that could be accomplished during EVA. The large EVA hatch was 1 meter in diameter.

Propulsion consisted of two 3.9 kN main engines and several 400N attitude control thruster clusters used for initial docking maneuvers (N2O4/UDMH propellants). The Kurs guidance system allowed the module to automatically rendezvous and dock with the forward port of the Mir base block. Two 26 sq. m solar arrays provided 6.9 kW. 360 A-hr of energy storage was provided by a NiCd battery system. Star sensors and six Gyrodyne momentum wheels were used to reduce propellant required for station pointing.

Scientific payloads included:

• MKF-6MA Earth resources film camera - 6 spectral bands. Provided by East Germany.
• KAP-350 topographic camera
• ASPG-M scan platform carrying ITS-7D IR spectrometer (using the Czech sensor platform first used on Vega spacecraft).
• ARIZ X-ray spectrometer
• MKS-M2 optical spectrometer
• TV cameras
• Gamma 2 spectrometer package
• Sprut 5 charged particle spectrometer (installed 1991).
• Phaza AFM-2 spectrometer
• Spektr-256 spectrometer
• Volna 2 propellant tank demonstration (250kg)
• Inkubator 2 - bird egg incubator
• Cosmic dust detectors
• Icarus EVA unit

Typical orbit: 388 km x 397 km at 52 degrees inclination. Length: 13.73 m (45.04 ft). Maximum Diameter: 4.35 m (14.27 ft). Habitable Volume: 59.00 m3. Mass: 19,565 kg (43,133 lb). Payload: 5,000 kg (11,000 lb). Main Engine: KRD-442. Main Engine Propellants: 1,100 kg (2,400 lb). Electrical System: Solar cells 27.35 m span, 53.2 sq m. Electric System: 6.90 average kW. Associated Launch Vehicle: Proton 8K82K.

• 1983 November 1 - 37KS Modules for Mir cancelled, replaced by FGB modules. -

  Kvant 2 Large Credit- © Mark Wade

  Design and fabrication reached an advanced phase when it was decided that the separate tug concept resulted in too low a net scientific payload (3 tonnes). Integrating the tug with the module was expected to increase this to 5 tonnes and provide some reserve engine capability at Mir and additional pressurised volume. Accordingly the 37KS modules for Mir were cancelled. Work on the 37KE experimental module (Kvant) and the 37KB Buran modules continued. The function of the 37KS modules was taken up by modules by KB Salyut derived from the FGB. A competing proposal from NPO Energia for a unified spacecraft that combined the 37KS module with the engine unit of Mir was rejected.

• 1989 November 26 - Kvant 2 - Program: Mir. Flight: Mir EO-5. Launch Site: Baikonur. Launch Vehicle: Proton. Mass: 19,565 kg (43,133 lb). Perigee: 388 km (241 mi). Apogee: 397 km (246 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 92.40 min. Duration: 1,615.45 days.

  Mir expansion module. Scheduled docking 2 December delayed due to failure of solar panel to extend and failure of automatic rendezvous system. Faults corrected by ground control and docked with Mir December 6, 1989 at 12:21 GMT. Transferred to lateral port December 8.
  Officially: Delivery to the Mir orbital station of additional equipment and apparatus for the purpose of expanding the research and experiments conducted in the interests of science and the national economy.

• Kaesmann, Ferdinand, et. al., Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, "Proton - Development of A Russian Launch Vehicle", 1998, Volume 51, page 3.

• Hendrickx, Bart, Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, "The Origins and Evolution of Mir and Its Modules", Vol. 51, P. 203-222, 1998..

• Portree, David S. F., Mir Hardware Heritage, NASA Reference Publication 1357, March 1995. Excellent overview, needing some updating in line with more recent revelations on Soviet programs. Considered the NASA ISS team Bible on Russian space hardware.

• Matson, Dr Wayne R, Editor, Cosmonautics - A Colorful History, Cosmos Books, Washington DC, 1994. ISBN: 1885609019. Handsome picture book on Soviet manned spaceflight - no longer available. The author skipped town, leaving a lot of folks who ordered expensive space tours and books from him holding the bag.... More at amazon.com...

• NASA Shuttle-Mir Web, NASA, 1997. Accessed at: http://shuttle-mir.nasa.gov/ops/mir/.

• JPL Mission and Spacecraft Library, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 1997. Accessed at: http://msl.jpl.nasa.gov/home.html.

• Krebs, Gunter, Gunter's Space Page, University of Frankfurt, 1996. Accessed at: http://www.skyrocket.de/space.

• McDowell, Jonathan, Jonathan's Space Home Page, Harvard University, 1997-present. Jonathan McDowell's complete on-line listing of all objects orbited and over 60,000 rocket launches Accessed at: http://www.planet4589.org/jsr.html.

• USAF Satellite Database, USAF Institute of Technology, 1995. Accessed at: ftp://archive.afit.af.mil/pub/space/.

• Vladimirov, A, Novosti kosmonavtiki, "Tablitsa zapuskov RN 'Proton' i 'Proton K'", 1998, Issue 10, page 25.