The Mir Chronicles: A Life In Space
Produced in association with Jones Entertainment Group Ltd, USA and distributed world-wide by Discovery International and CDC United Networks Belgium.

Floating in the limitless void of space, it was a beacon to the future – incubator for man's destiny among the stars.

For nearly fourteen years it served as a home away from home for those adventurous enough to leave the tether of Earth – for seekers and pioneers – Man's early ancestors to other worlds.
A sparkling emblem of Mans quest for greater understandings that lie just beyond our reach...

This is the story of MIR and its life in space... As told through the images, sounds and recollections of the people who were actually there, as it happened. Through the unique and unprecedented Russian Space archives owned by VideoCosmos, our audience shares that experience.

Spawned in the secrecy of The Cold War, MIR was the third generation of Russian space stations. The first, Salyut 1 was successfully launched into orbit on April 19, 1971.

After losing the race to the Moon, the Soviets hoped to revitalize their tarnished prestige with 'Salyut'.

Although the first visiting crew was able to dock with the station, they were unable to open the hatch and enter. The next crew, Soyuz 11, spent over three weeks on board Salyut – only to tragically die during their return to Earth.

Salyut seemed plagued by failure.

Capitalizing on these early set backs- the Americans successfully launched and manned their first space station – Skylab.

But when the U.S. shifted their presence in space to focus on their Shuttle program, the Soviets successfully occupied a number of subsequent space stations and recovered their lost prestige.

Intended to be the crown jewel of the Soviet Space program, MIR was the logical evolution of these earlier stations – and the first designed as 'permanent'- capable of expanding through the addition of new modules.

It was launched less than a month after NASA's most devastating disaster – the January 1986 explosion of the Shuttle Challenger.

The audience learns why it was considered a threat at first, observes the early design and construction, and watch as crews bring equipment into space... allowing MIR to become a true space laboratory.

Floating weightless throughout MIR, our audience can actually 'tour' its confusing and cluttered interior – as if they were crew themselves!

As well as experience MIR as what it was – a living lab to study long-term space travel in order to answer what was – until MIR – unanswerable.

Viewers look over the shoulder of Cosmonauts (and Crews) such as Dr. Valery Polyakov, as he lives in space for a record 437 days, as well as witness other ground breaking experiments, ranging from supernova observation to crystal growth, as they are performed right before their eyes.

For the first time viewers will observe how & why long term weightlessness results in the loss of bone density and causes muscles to atrophy – and how MIR became ground zero for innovative medical science and drug development which helped not only Cosmonauts but those suffering on Earth as well. And how with zero gravity, and its unique challenges, even the most routine chores become cumbersome – we see how life on MIR could turn the usually commonplace into the potentially fatal...

Mundane tasks such as throwing out the trash, dealing with human waste and managing simple liquids provide challenges unheard of on Earth.


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