The Base Block, or Core Module, is the heart of Mir. First launched into orbit in 1986, it comprised the entire space station for over a year, before the other modules were launched. Built of two ...

The nearly 60-foot-long space station module is a bit longer than the 1986-launched Soviet/Russian Mir core module by about 15 feet or so, but appears to have generally the same design: a ...

Mir’s core module launched on February 19, 1986, and over the next decade, Russian rockets – and eventually a couple of American space shuttle flights – delivered six more pressurized ...

Earlier today, China put Tianhe, the core module of its new space station, into orbit. It’s the 12th space station to be put into orbit (Salyuts 1 and 3 through 7 , Mir, Skylab, the ISS and the ...