science

Kristall

Kristall is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Kristall rather than just read about it. In short: Kristall (Russian: Кристалл, lit. 'Crystal'), was the second module on the Mir space station. It was the second module to be installed on Mir.

Key takeaways

Kristall belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Kristall to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Kristall from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Kristall (Russian: Кристалл, lit. 'Crystal'), was the second module on the Mir space station. It was the second module to be installed on Mir. It was launched May 31, 1990 on a Proton-K and docked autonomously on June 10, 1990.

Design Kristall, like previous modules on Mir, was based on the 77K (TKS) design. The module was designed with the Buran programme in mind, with the aft node having two APAS-89 docking ports. The module contained several materials processing furnaces, a biotechnology experiment, a hothouse for growing plants like radishes and lettuce, two cameras for earth resource experiments, an ultraviolet telescope augmenting the one installed on Kvant-1, a gamma ray telescope, a gamma spectrometer, a magnetic spectrometer, and an astrophysical spectrometer. The biotechnology and furnace experiments were capable of generating up to 100kg of raw materials for use back down on Earth. The hothouse successfully grew Brassica rapa in 1997.

Additionally, Kristall carried six gyroscopes for attitude control and to augment those already installed on the station, and most notably had 2 collapsible solar arrays, which were designed to be retracted and re-deployed up to several times. One of these arrays was later installed on Kvant-1 consequently due to the Shuttle–Mir programme, and was later disposed of in November 1997. The other solar array was never moved, and remained partially deployed for the rest of its lifetime.

Relation to Buran programme As mentioned, Kristall was designed in relation with the Buran programme, and carried two APAS-89 docking ports which were designed to be compatible with the Buran shuttle. After the Buran programme was cancelled, the lateral docking node was used in conjunction with the Shuttle–Mir program, the radial port never seeing use. The lateral port in 1993, before being docked with the shuttle, was tested by Soyuz TM-16, which was modified to use an APAS-89 docking port rather than the standard SSVP docking system. As a result of the Shuttle–Mir programme, Kristall was moved from the -Y node on the Mir core module, and moved between the -X node and -Z node before finally remaining at the -Z node, and with the arrival of STS-74, the Mir docking module was attached to Kristall permanently on its lateral docking node.

References

External links

Russian Space Web Encyclopedia Astronautica Gunter's Space Page - information on Kristall

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Kristall

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Kristall claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Kristall before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Kristall ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Kristall

In research: Kristall appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Kristall in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Kristall is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1990 in the Soviet Union, Buran programme, Components of Mir, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Kristall outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Kristall in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Kristall means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Kristall out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Kristall in simple terms?

Kristall (Russian: Кристалл, lit. 'Crystal'), was the second module on the Mir space station. It was the second module to be installed on Mir.

Why does Kristall matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Kristall?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Kristall.