Even at the best of times, Mir was an accident waiting to happen. It was launched in 1986, equipped with technology developed in the Seventies to settle questions first posed in the Sixties.

One of these was: What happens to people who stay in orbit for a long time? One answer could have been predicted -- sooner or later, they become careless and make a mistake.

In fact, Mir has kept the Russian cosmonauts on their toes. Nobody expected what was once state-of-the-art space engineering to still be on the road, an old banger, with bits falling off, 11 years later. Mir has had a chapter of accidents, some almost risible, some nightmarish.

Last year, the lavatories overflowed. In February, an oxygen canister burst into flames and had to be doused with a wet towel and a fire extinguisher. In March, both oxygen generators failed and the crew had to burn oxygen-generating candles.

In April, the coolant system began dripping ethylene glycol anti-freeze -- dangerous to breathe -- and the temperature rose to more than 30C. The crew had to wear masks while they made repairs. Because of the leaks, the air-purifying system faltered and carbon dioxide began to build up.

All through these troubles, the cosmonauts had to play host to American guests Shannon Lucid, the 53-year-old mother of three, Jerry Linenger, and -- since mid-May -- Michael Foale, the British scientist who went to the United States because, above all else, he wanted to be an astronaut. He said at the time he was looking forward to the excitement. He got it.

Even before Wednesday's accident, there were troubles with the delivery vans. Although each shuttle visit brings new crew and supplies, the basic bread-and-butter is delivered by an unmanned progress M-33 cargo ship. One robot ship missed Mir altogether, and the Russians wondered whether they could afford to build another.

Money is at the heart of the problem. The agency that was once the spearhead of Soviet technology is having trouble paying its workers. When it does pay them, the money is not enough. Men and women who were once the world's highest-flying engineers now moonlight by driving taxis to keep themselves working in the space business.

Russia's first module for the International Space Station is badly delayed. And Mir's new spare parts have not been budgeted for. Experts may soon decide it can not be kept working.

Richard Crowther, of Britain's Defence Evaluation and Research Agency said: ``I guess it is similar to the Apollo 13 incident. They will set up review teams and consider the implications of the failures that will be occurring. If they cannot control things like the heating and cooling inside, it is only a matter of time before they evacuate.''

The Observer News Service

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.