The remains of the Russian Mir space station have crashed back to Earth. Mission controllers lost contact with the spacecraft just after 5 o'clock this morning (23 March). Eyewitnesses later reported streaks of debris streaming across Fiji in the South Pacific.
It's estimated that around 30 tonnes of redundant space technology splashed down in the ocean - no one and nothing was hit. It was a dramatic end to Mir's 15 years in orbit - it will be replaced by the new International Space Station, Alpha.
To the western media Mir has often been treated as a joke but to the Soviet and later Russian people it's been a symbol of the nation's achievements. Whilst the United States developed the shuttle - what amounts to a space taxi - the Soviet Union achieved records for space duration and pushed forward the boundaries of living in space.
The passing of Mir symbolises the end of that dream. The Russian space programme, such that it is, is a barely functioning shadow of its former self. Its funds cut to virtually nothing it survives by launching commercial satellites for TV and telecommunications companies. Its Cosmonauts now work with US astronauts on the new International Space Station.
As recently as last Autumn there was still a dwindling hope that MIr would be kept alive by commercial interests - operating it as a slightly shabby space hotel but whilst there was great enthusiasm for the plan it seems there was little hard cash. In retrospect many in the industry believe it should have been brought down to Earth sooner - rather than let it and its reputation endure a lingering death.
Finally on January 23, the station was pushed out of orbit and began its slow spiral down to Earth. The station should be largely destroyed in Earth's atmosphere but around 1,500 pieces of debris totalling about 30 tonnes are expected to fall into the South Pacific.
Several governments have expressed concern that the platform might miss its target and the Russians have taken out insurance just in case. The space industry hasn't got an unblemished record as far as space debris is concerned, a similar lump of hardware, the American Skylab, only just missed western Australia.
It's not yet clear how history will treat Mir, it will probably depend on where its written. To the Russians Mir will represent the crowning glory of the Soviet space programme; to the West it'll probably be remembered for the 'mishaps'.
Mir has had its faults but its achievements in furthering the understanding of long duration space flight shouldn't be underestimated.
LINKS
- news.bbc.co.uk
- lift-off.msfc.nasa.gov/rsa/rsa.html
- http://www.energialtd.com/mir.htm
- http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/history/shuttle-mir/
- http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/
-http://www.ema.gov.au/mirfr.html
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