Figure 23.26: This image of Skylab was taken as the last crew left the station in January of
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Modular Space Stations
The first space station designed for very long-term use was the Mir space station (Figure
23.27). Mir was amodularspace station, which means it was launched in several separate
pieces and put together in space. The core of Mir was launched by the Soviet Union in 1986.
Mir was put together in several phases between 1986 and 1996. Mir holds the current record
for the longest continued presence in space. There were people living on Mir continuously
for almost 10 years, falling short of the 10-year mark by just eight days. Mir was taken out
of orbit in 2001; it fell into the Pacific Ocean, as the Russians had planned.
Mir was the first major space project in which the United States and Russia (after the fall
of the USSR) worked together. In 1993, U.S. Vice President, Al Gore and Russian prime
minister, Viktor Chernomyrdin announced plans for a new space station, which would later
be called the International Space Station, or ISS. They also agreed that the U.S. would
be involved in the Mir project in the years ahead. Space shuttles would take part in the
transport of supplies and people to and from Mir. In addition, American astronauts would
live on Mir for many months. This cooperation with Russia allowed the United States to
learn from Russia’s experience with long duration space flights. Figure23.28shows Mir
with an American space shuttle attached.