MIRNEWS.312                                   9 JULY 1996

POSSIBLE CHANGES IN PLANNING NEAR FUTURE:

During the launch of Columbia on 20.06.1996 hot gasses leaked through the insulation of  the rocket boosters. This might cause a month's delay in the launch of Atlantis -STS-79- 4th docking mission with MIR.  During radiotraffic from MIR Shannon Lucid confirmed that she takes into account the possibility that she might return in the first week of September.  During the mission  of Atlantis Lucid has to be relieved by John Blaha. 

Soyuz-TM24:  Shannon Lucid also said that the Russians still stick to the launch of  this ship on 14.08.1996 with Manakov, Vinogradov and Claudie Andree-Deshays and the return of Onufriyenko and Usachov together with the French guest-cosmonaut on 30.08.1996 with the Soyuz-TM23.  So possibly Lucid will be in the MIR-station during the mission of Andree-Deshays.  

Progress-M32:  If there will be permission for the use of the rocket Soyuz-U before 21.07.1996 this freighter will be launched from Baykonur in the night from 21 to 22.07.1996. 

Just before  the deadline for this report the press-service of TsUP near Moscow  did not have information about  changes and  sticks to the original schedule:
Launch Atlantis: 31.07.1996,
Launch  Progress-M22:  night from 21. to 22. 07.1996, and
Launch  Soyuz-TM24: 14.08.1996. 

Moscow confirmed that changes might be possible. 

Chris van den Berg, NL-9165/A-UK3202