Spacewalk may not solve Mir's problems

A dangerous spacewalk to restore full power on board the Mir space station could go ahead tomorrow, after the three astronauts on board managed to restart a malfunctioning computer that had left them in a tumbling orbit.

But the problem prompted the Russian mission controller, Victor Blagov, to comment: "We really have to decide soon whether we need safety or money- saving."

Mir had been in a chaotic orbit for almost 24 hours after a computer system crashed on Monday while the crew were trying to dock with a cargo ship. Yesterday the three men - two Russians and a British-American, Michael Foale - restarted the 11-year-old system, meaning that the space station can be reoriented so that its solar panels will catch the sun.

When the computer failed, the station automatically switched off all but vital life support systems.

Mr Blagov said the cosmonauts might take a spacewalk to Mir's holed and airless Spektr module tomorrow, a day later than initially scheduled. "Once they have the computer running and solar panels oriented to the sun, they can go to Spektr," he said.

Mir has been underpowered by at least 30 per cent since Spektr was holed in a collision with an uncrewed cargo ship on 25 June, during docking practice. It was the worst accident yet. The cosmonauts must enter the module to reconnect electric cables from Spektr's solar panels to the main ship.

Mr Blagov also complained that a lack of cash was behind Monday's computer crash, as Mir equipment has to be used until it virtually falls apart. The faulty computer unit, which exchanges data between all peripheral system parts and the computer centre, had not been changed for almost 11 years, he added.

"This interface malfunctioned. Unfortunately it happened during a docking procedure. During a routine flight there would be no consequences," Mr Blagov said. Even so, Mir's commander, Anatoly Solovyov, managed to complete a safe docking manually.