MISSION CONTROL CENTER, Korolyov, Russia -- Mission Control Center (MCC) confirmed the controlled crash of the Mir space station into the south Pacific Ocean, Russian space representatives said Friday morning, citing the latest calculations of ballistic experts.
"Orbital Space Station Mir has completed its triumphant flight, which has been unprecedented in the history of manned space exploration and which humankind has yet to fully appreciate," was the message carried over loudspeakers at the Russian space facility outside Moscow at 1:00 a.m. EST (06:00. GMT, 9:00 a.m. Moscow time).
| Mir: Complete Coverage |
Welcome to SPACE.com"s coverage of the final days leading to the demise of the Russian space station Mir. Follow the fiery finale of the historic outpost right here. Read More . |
Despite a reputation for being accident-prone in its later years, Mir responded almost perfectly to the last command its makers would ever give it, performing its final maneuvers according to plan, though a minute ahead of schedule.
Timetable for burial
According to the most precise estimates currently available, the station crossed the critical threshold of 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth's surface at 12:45 a.m. EST (05:45 GMT; 8:45 a.m. Moscow time). At this point, it entered the atmosphere and began to disintegrate under the stresses of reentry.
At 12:49 a.m. EST (05:49 GMT; 8:49 a.m. Moscow time), the station had plunged to 55 miles (90 kilometers), according to MCC. Its solar batteries, antennas and insulation broke away.
Two minutes later, the MCC reported, friction had torn the modules apart. Station debris continued to fall as it burned, with the focus of the shower of flaming wreckage expected to splash down at 40 degrees south latitude, 160 degrees west longitude.
At 12:55 a.m. EST (05:55 GMT; 8:55 a.m. Moscow time), Mir was deep into its final descent, only 31 miles (50 kilometers) above Earth's surface. Reaching terminal speeds of nearly 900 miles per hour (400 meters per second), its altitude dropped to 24 miles (39 kilometers) in less than a minute.
Three minutes later at 12:59 a.m. EST (05:59 GMT; 8:59 a.m. Moscow time), the station was dead in the water, drowning 15 years of service to human space, and more than four decades of Russia's sovereign orbital power.
The last burn
The mood in the Mission Control Center (MCC) in Korolyov outside Moscow was solemn, with technicians glued to their displays while an estimated 600 journalists and diplomatic observers from dozens of countries quietly discussed the overnight procedure required to ensure that the doomed space station would crash safely into the Pacific Ocean, far from populated areas.
Mission specialists promised that MCC would be soon able to calculate the exact spot where Mir would come to rest.
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The Progress cargo ship's engines began their third and final braking burn for the night at 12:07 a.m. EST (05:07 GMT; 8:07 a.m. Moscow time) for a 22-minute, 15-second burn.
Although Mir's death is now largely a matter of record, the station will not officially be pronounced dead until 1:45 a.m. EST (06:45 GMT; 9:45 a.m. Moscow time), five minutes after its orbit would have brought it within radar contact range of Russia's Crimean land observation facility.
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