Kvant-2 (russian: Квант-2;

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: Quantum-II/2) (77KSD, TsM-D, 11F77D) was the third module and second major addition to the

Mir space station ''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...

. Its primary purpose was to deliver new science experiments, better life support systems, and an airlock to Mir. It was launched on November 26, 1989 on a

Proton rocket Proton (Russian: Протон) (formal designation: UR-500) is an expendable launch system used for both commercial and Russian government space launches. The first Proton rocket was launched in 1965. Modern versions of the launch system are sti ...

. It docked to Mir on December 6. Its control system was designed by the NPO "Electropribor"Krivonosov, Khartron: Computers for rocket guidance systems
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Description

Kvant-2 was the first Mir module based on the

TKS spacecraft The TKS spacecraft (russian: Транспортный корабль снабжения, , ''Transport Supply Spacecraft'', GRAU index 11F72) was a Soviet spacecraft conceived in the late 1960s for resupply flights to the military Almaz space s ...

(77k module). Kvant-2 was divided into three compartments. They were the

EVA Eva or EVA may refer to: * Eva (name), a feminine given name Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * Eva (Dynamite Entertainment), a comic book character by Dynamite Entertainment * Eva (''Devil May Cry''), Dante's mother in t ...

airlock, the instrument/cargo compartment, and the instrument/experiment compartment. The instrument/cargo compartment could be sealed off and act as an extension or a back-up to the airlock. Before Kvant-2 docked to the station, EVAs had to be carried by depressurizing the docking node on the Core Module. Kvant-2 also carried the Soviet version of the Manned Maneuvering Unit for the

Orlan space suit image:iss022e023623.jpg, 270px, Cosmonaut Maksim Surayev next to two Orlan-MK models on the International Space Station image:Sharipov one.jpg, 270px, Cosmonaut Salizhan Sharipov, next to the Orlan-M spacesuit. The Orlan space suit (russian: Ор� ...

. It delivered the Salyut 5B computer which was an improvement over the Argon 16B computer already on the station. Kvant-2 had a system for regenerating water from urine and a shower for personal hygiene. It carried six

gyrodynes A gyrodyne is a type of VTOL aircraft with a helicopter rotor-like system that is driven by its engine for takeoff and landing only, and includes one or more conventional propeller or jet engines to provide forward thrust during cruising flig ...

to augment those already located in

Kvant-1 Kvant-1 (russian: Квант-1; English: Quantum-I/1) (37KE) was the first module to be attached in 1987 to the Mir Core Module, which formed the core of the Soviet space station ''Mir''. It remained attached to ''Mir'' until the entire space stat ...

. Unlike Kvant-1, Kvant-2's gyrodynes were only accessible from the exterior which made replacement of failed ones more difficult. Scientific equipment on Kvant-2 included a high-resolution camera, spectrometers, X-ray sensors, the Volna 2 fluid flow experiment, and the Inkubator-2 unit which was used for hatching and raising

quail Quail is a collective name for several genera of mid-sized birds generally placed in the order Galliformes. The collective noun for a group of quail is a flock, covey, or bevy. Old World quail are placed in the family Phasianidae, and New Wor ...

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

Gallery

Kvant-2 Airlock SPK.jpg, Airlock section on Kvant-2. Notice the SPK unit moored on the left. Close-up of the SPK outside of Mir.jpg, Close-up of the SPK unit outside the airlock. The SPK was analogous to the American manned maneuvering unit. After being tested in 1990, it was stowed in Kvant-2 until 1996. It was then moved outside the airlock to save room in Kvant-2.

References

External links

Russian Space Web
*Gunter's Space Page - information o

{{TKS spacecraft Mir Spacecraft launched in 1989