McDonnell Douglas-SPACEHAB technicians strap in place a oxygen generator on the floor of a SPACEHAB Double Module being prepared for flight.

McDonnell Douglas-SPACEHAB technicians strap in place a Russian-made oxygen generator on the floor of a SPACEHAB Double Module, being prepared for flight in the SPACEHAB Payload Processing Facility. From left, are Mark Halavin and Marc Tuttle. The oxygen generator, manufactured in Russia by RSC Energia, will be carried aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis on Mission STS-84 for the Shuttle’s scheduled docking with the Russian Space Station Mir next month. The nearly 300-pound generator will replace one of two Mir units that have been malfunctioning recently. The generator functions by electrolysis, which separates water into its oxygen and hydrogen components. The hydrogen is vented and the oxygen is used for breathing by the Mir crew. The generator is 4.2 feet in length and 1.4 feet in diameter. STS-84, which is planned to include a Mir crew exchange of astronaut C. Michael Foale for Jerry M. Linenger, is targeted for a May 15 liftoff. It will be the sixth Shuttle-Mir docking