Having followed spaceflight activities since 1968, David Shayler has a broad range of experience covering all aspects of human spaceflight history. In October 1982, he created Astro Info Service to focus on his space writing and research, with lectures and educational outreach activities. Early publications included the periodicals 'Orbiter' on the shuttle and 'Zenit' on Soviet activities, and a growing range of biographies on the world's space explorers. In 1990 David co-created the Midland Spaceflight Society and acted as its chairman. His first book was published in 1987 and since then he has authored over 20 titles, including 13 titles in the Praxis Space Library between 2000 and 2009. He has contributed to titles on human spaceflight, including the three editions of "Who's Who in Space" (MacMillan, 1998). Personal research has been conducted at NASA JSC in Houston, and at KSC in Florida, as well as at Rice and Clear Lake Universities and NARA archives in Texas. His research continues daily and new titles are under various stages of production, some of which are available via the AIS website.
David Harland studied astronomy to degree level, and pursued a career lecturing in computer science, and academic and industrial research. In 1995, David "retired" to resume his interest in space and started to write. He has over two dozen books published to date, a majority of them with Springer/Praxis and several others under contract. These days he considers himself to be an amateur hermit and a professional space historian.

The Mir space station has unquestionably been one of the most significant contributions to the Soviet/Russian space programme. The experience of long-duration human space flight gained from its continued operation was justifiably considered vital to the International Space Station and to future interplanetary exploration. Near the end of its operational life, Mir was much in the news as dangerous fires and other mishaps threatened the life its the astronauts, yet Mir was also a legendary workhorse on the road to long-term space colonization. This book reviews the origins of the Soviet space station programme, in particular the highly successful Salyuts 6 and 7, describes Mir's structure, environment, power supply and manoeuvring systems, and provides a comprehensive account of how it was assembled and how it operated in orbit. This book is essential for anyone who is interested in the history of humans in space or who is looking for lessons to apply to the ISS.

Getting started.- Routine operations.- A step towards continuous occupancy.- A base block for modular construction.- An astrophysical laboratory.- A microgravity laboratory for hire.- Expansion or abandonment?.- Shuttle-Mir.- The final chapter.- In retrospect.