The Soviet Union launches the core module of Mir on Feb. 20, predicting the station will last three to five years. The first crew takes off for the station on March 13. The station's second component, Kvant 1, arrives at Mir but has trouble docking.
Crew members find refuse stuck on the docking port.
A cargo ship goes out of control during its final approach to the station, nearly colliding with Mir. The chaos and financial troubles accompanying the collapse of the Soviet Union force Mir's crew to stay in orbit months longer than scheduled. 1995 Russian cosmonaut Valery Polyakov returns from a 438-day mission, more than 14 months, the longest continuous human space flight. Norman Thagard becomes the first American astronaut to visit Mir. A series of dramatic accidents starts on Feb. 23 with an oxygen-generating canister bursting into flames and nearly forcing the crew to evacuate.