Mir Crew Restarting Shut-Down Systems

The crew of the Mir space station replaced a faulty computer block and began the slow work of restarting the orbiter’s orientation system. The main computer failed on Friday, shutting down the gyroscope system that keeps the Mir’s solar panels facing the sun. As a result, the station lost power, and cosmonauts turned off all nonessential systems outside the core module to conserve energy. While the systems are being restarted, the station’s orientation is being controlled by firing engines on the Soyuz escape module. There was no word on how long it would take to complete the repairs, but in the past it has taken one to two days before all systems returned to normal.