(10 Jul 1997) English/Nat

American astronaut Michael Foale has taken part in the first television live link up with ground control since last week.

He said he was not concerned about the safety of Mir.

Mir lost up to half its electric power in a collision on June 25th when another Russian cargo ship hit Mir's scientific Spektr module.

At the Space Control Centre in Russia, U-S and Russian scientists were there to watch the broadcast by Michael Foale from aboard the Mir space station.

Foale seemed in good spirits as he talked about the situation on board Mir and preparations for next week entry into the damaged Spektr module.

He said that he and his crew were preparing for a spacewalk next week to try and repair the damage caused by the collision.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Things have been going pretty good here. We've just got up and we're getting ready for a new day to unload the progress a little bit more and start getting ready for the pretty exciting E-V-A that I think the two guys are going to do, Vasily and Sasha in about a week's time."
SUPER CAPTION: Dr Michael Foale, Astronaut

He added that he was happy with provisions that had been made to ensure the safety of the crew.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Generally the safety concerns here though are well met, and I'm not, I'm not worried."
SUPER CAPTION: Michael Foale, Astronaut

NASA observer Keith Zimmerman praised Foale's work on-board the Mir and said his assistance with the preparations was going well.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Michael's doing fine and he is mainly assisting his two crewmates in all their activities preparing both their spacesuits and preparing the Mir itself for the spacewalks which are coming up."
SUPER CAPTION: Keith Zimmerman, NASA

Viktor Blagov, deputy Flight Director said that the two Russian Cosmonauts would attempt to reconnect the electricity supply when they are inside Spektr but emphasised the need for care and precision.

SOUNDBITE: (Russian)
"The entry into Spektr will be carried out when both the crew and ground control are ready. No need for haste. The work is too important and responsible. We need electricity supply. And this work should be completed in one go."
SUPER CAPTION: Viktor Blagov, Deputy Flight Director

Two crew members will try to repair lost power to the Mir on July 17th or 18th.

A failure to strengthen its power could threaten the future of the 11-year old space station.

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