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Author
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Topic: Mir space station flown artifacts: Advice needed
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lemmy
New Member Posts: 3
From:
Registered: Feb 2015
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posted 02-19-2015 01:13 PM
  
I have several pieces from the Russian Mir and no idea what to do with them. I am no expert with space artifacts at all and found this forum through Google. Maybe one of you experts can help me with this. The items were given as a present to a public figure by officials from the Russian space program in the 1990s. This public figure (who died in 2005) had no use for them and gave them to a close friend who also passed away recently. Before his death this friend gave the artifacts to his girlfriend who asked me to find out if they have any monetary worth. Complicated, I know. But I have no doubt whatsoever that the pieces and their story are authentic. Proving that they are genuine would probably be time-consuming and difficult but not impossible. Before I start doing that I would like to know what you think of these artifacts and whether they are worth the effort at all. The biggest piece is about 40 centimeters long and made of lightweight metal (aluminium?). It has a honeycomb structure between the two outer layers. There are also several smaller pieces with wires. Please let me know if this is detailed enough information for you to say anything about it. Like I said, I know next to nothing about space things. Your help and advice is highly appreciated. |
John C UK
Member Posts: 23
From:
Registered: Aug 2014
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posted 02-21-2015 04:19 AM
Can't say if its MIR or not, but it's the exact same construction as the panels that satellites are made from, right down to the inserts and kapton around the edges. I have several pieces just like it.Are there any markings? Anything Cyrillic might help identify it as being Russian. |
GACspaceguy
Member Posts: 2475
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 02-21-2015 05:36 AM
Not questioning what the items are but the construction is typical of most aerospace aluminum honeycomb construction including Kapton (if used in an avionics type area). |
lemmy
New Member Posts: 3
From:
Registered: Feb 2015
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posted 02-21-2015 05:49 AM
Thank you both. I can't find any cyrillic markings on the artefact. Maybe it helps if I post pictures of the other items that came with it:  
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John C UK
Member Posts: 23
From:
Registered: Aug 2014
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posted 02-21-2015 06:09 AM
I'd say its definitely space hardware. Your third photo has a small heater strip amongst the sections of honeycomb. Without any markings or part numbers, it would be very difficult to say for certain that it is MIR hardware. The heater strips are bonded to the aluminium sheet on the panel. I don't know if this technology used today was used on MIR. I could cut up one of my sample panels and it would look similar to yours. Mine are form telecoms satellites that are being built right now. |
GACspaceguy
Member Posts: 2475
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 02-21-2015 08:07 AM
Well, heater strips are not typical aerospace. Interesting. |
John C UK
Member Posts: 23
From:
Registered: Aug 2014
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posted 02-21-2015 09:26 AM
I posted a photo on my twitter a little while ago (12th Feb) at an event where I had one of these panels (me in the tie).The panel leaning on the table has all of the elements in your hardware, aluminium panel, wiring, connectors, kapton, inserts and heater. This is a flight article from a satellite that we now use for STEM events.  |
lemmy
New Member Posts: 3
From:
Registered: Feb 2015
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posted 02-22-2015 04:18 AM
Thank you, John. The panel on your table does resemble the one I have, although mine seems to be considerably thicker.The pieces I am asking about came with an artwork that bears the signatures of several individuals that I think had something to do with the Mir mission. I wonder if it is possible to identify the autographs? Maybe that might help tracing back the history of the artefacts?  |
John C UK
Member Posts: 23
From:
Registered: Aug 2014
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posted 02-22-2015 05:00 AM
That's an interesting piece. I don't know anything about it, but I like it, and I can't say why!By the way, the panels do come in thicker cross-sections. I will get some better photos for you when I'm back in work. |
John C UK
Member Posts: 23
From:
Registered: Aug 2014
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posted 02-22-2015 08:38 AM
Interestingly, I googled Charles Wilp and this cS thread from 2013 popped up. Looks like he is (was) an artist with an interest in aerospace.Might be worth looking to see if an ESA astronaut flew on Mir in 94/95/96, and who they flew with to see if any of the signatures match up... |
John C UK
Member Posts: 23
From:
Registered: Aug 2014
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posted 02-22-2015 05:16 PM
Here's another one! What did we do before Google? |
Robonaut
Member Posts: 259
From: Solihull, West Mids, England
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 02-24-2015 08:18 AM
In the 94 to 96 timeframe, European astronauts Ulf Merbold, Thomas Reiter and Claudie Haignere flew to Mir. Merbold and Reiter were the first ESA astronauts on Mir. Haignere was not an ESA astronaut at this time and flew as a representative of the French Space Agency (CNES).None of the signatures look like the ones I have of them or of any of the cosmonauts that flew with them. I do not think any are the signatures of astronauts or cosmonauts. |
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