On Tuesday the cosmonauts loaded used hardware into the Progress cargo ship. The ship's front section, used to carry supplies to the outpost, normally becomes a "trash can" once it is unloaded. The hatches leading into the spacecraft will have to be closed by the crew so ground controllers will be able to detach it from the station after the cosmonauts have returned to Earth.

Prior to their departure, the crew will have to turn off all the systems that are not needed during the station's hibernation period. Among them will be the electron unit used to generate oxygen and the vozdukh unit, which scrubs the station's atmosphere.

The most vital hardware, such as that which supplies energy, communication and thermal-control systems will continue running.

Currently, the ground control in Korolev expects the crew to depart from Mir on June 16.

To alleviate the effect of weightlessness after a long spaceflight, the crew began using special vacuum suits, which cause the blood to flow toward the lower part of the body. In the absence of gravity in orbit, liquids in the body tend to shift upward.

Another chore, one every Mir crew has had to perform, the cosmonauts will readjust their seats in the Soyuz reentry capsule to accommodate their increase in height. According to Mission Control, people usually "grow" 0.8 to 1.1 inches (2 to 3 centimeters) during long-duration flights.

 Drought days

Mission Control plans to dry out the station's atmosphere, as was done in August 1999 after the previous Mir crew left. The purpose is to remove extra humidity from the station's air, which results from the presence of people on board.

Over years of crewed operations, Mir's humid atmosphere encouraged the growth of microorganisms, which proved dangerous enough to corrode the station's structure. To prevent this potentially deadly process, the cosmonauts usually conduct weekly cleaning inside the station with a special anti-bacterial solution.

After the cosmonauts leave, an on-board air conditioner will remain running to bring the humidity down. Since the device consumes a great deal of energy, Mir will remain in its active orientation, with its solar-power arrays positioned for maximum exposure to the sun.

When Mir's atmosphere is dry enough, the air conditioner will be turned off and ground controllers will put the station into a slow spin -- the easiest way of stabilizing the complex while it is in its hibernation mode.