DEORBITING MIR
DEORBITING MIR
NEWS UPDATES
WHAT HAPPENED TO MIR?
ESA Nederland
23 maart 2001
Mir bestaat niet meer
Het Russische ruimtestation Mir is vergaan. Nadat het grootste deel van het station
vanochtend rond 06.30 u. in de dampkring verbrandde, stortten de resten ongeveer
een half uur later in de Stille Oceaan.
De terugkeer van de Mir verliep geheel volgens plan. Door de wrijving met de aardatmosfeer viel het ruimtestation al steeds verder terug naar de aarde. Met de raketmotor van het in januari dit jaar aangekoppelde Progress M1-5 vrachtschip werden vannacht drie vuurstoten gegeven. Daardoor remde de Mir nog verder af in zijn baan en dook uiteindelijk in de dampkring.
De Russische vluchtleiding had de hele procedure perfect in de hand. De brokstukken die na de verbrandingsfase in de dampkring overbleven, kwamen precies in het van tevoren voorspelde gebied in de Stille Oceaan terecht.
De Mir is ruim 15 jaar lang in de ruimte geweest en heeft in die tijd een afstand van ruim 3 milard km om de aarde afgelegd.
CNN
March 23, 2001 -- Updated 01:50 a.m. EST, 0650 GMT
Mir destroyed in fiery descent
After 15 years in space, Russia's space station Mir re-entered the Earth's
atmosphere and plunged into the South Pacific early today. CNN's Hugh Williams
in Fiji reported seeing Mir streaking across the sky in several pieces.
"This is the most unbelievable, incredible show," Williams said.
CNN, March 22, 2001 (2101 GMT)
Mir nears fiery finish
MOSCOW, Russia -- Russian mission controllers early Thursday successfully
regained control of the space station Mir and powered up its thrusters to
stabilize the spinning spacecraft in preparation for its suicidal descent
to Earth.
CNN, March 22, 2001
Mir positioned for fiery descent
Russian mission controllers early today successfully regained
control of the space station Mir and powered up its thrusters to stabilize
the spinning spacecraft in preparation for its suicidal descent to Earth.
Space Exploration News From Around the Internet, Updated Every Weekday.
March 21, 2001 - Issue #407
MIR GETS READY WITH FINAL MANEUVER
Now at an altitude of only 220km, the Mir spacestation has an
important maneuver to make before Russian mission control brings it
down on Friday. Currently tumbling slowly in orbit, they need to
stabilize the station on Thursday so that it stops rolling. This is
necessary so that the descent thrusters will be at the right angle
when they fire to drop the station out of orbit. This maneuver
carries some risk; however, because if it fails, the station will
continue to tumble, and controllers will have no way to decide
where it will crash.
Space Exploration News From Around the Internet, Updated Every Weekday.
March 20, 2001 - Issue #406
THE COMPLEXITIES OF BRINGING DOWN MIR
Although the Russian Space Agency believes they'll be bringing the
Mir spacestation down on Friday morning, the day isn't carved in
stone. It all depends of the Sun, and the effect it has on the
Earth's atmosphere, causing it to shrink or inflate. Changes in the
atmosphere will affect the trajectory and thus the final impact
location of Mir when it hits. This is also complicating the task of
a group of tourists who have paid $6,500 US to fly out along the
trajectory of the falling station to watch it crash.
Space Exploration News From Around the Internet, Updated Every Weekday.
March 20, 2001
MIR REENTRY DELAYED BRIEFLY
By all accounts, nothing is going to stop the reentry of Mir, but
that doesn't stop Russian space officials from throwing a few more
delays in. Originally scheduled to reenter on Thursday, March 22nd,
the crash has been pushed back to Friday at 0600 GMT (1:00am EST),
depending on weather conditions. The station has been gradually
losing altitude and once it reaches 220 km, the Russians will fire
the decent thrusters to bring it down into the South Pacific Ocean.
NEWSALERT: Thursday, March 15, 2001 @ 1700 GMT
The latest news from Astronomy Now and Spaceflight Now
RUSSIANS REFINE PLAN FOR REENTRY OF SPACE STATION MIR
After weeks of uncertainty, Russian space officials have set the
early hours of March 22 as the definitive target for the Mir's fiery
reentry into Earth's atmosphere.
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