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Mir Control System Activated for Descent, Dumping in Pacific
By Interfax
posted: 11:47 am ET
13 March 2001
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mir_update_010313 MOSCOW. March 13 (Interfax) -- Engineers at Russia's Mission Control Center in Korolyov outside Moscow switched on all parts of Space Station Mir's onboard control systems on Tuesday, an official in the center's press service told Interfax. The station's mainframe computer was booted up and tested on Monday. All components of the control system have been found to be operating normally and are prepared to bring the station plunging back to Earth. [uplink] Before the descent starts, the control system will only be signaling its operating condition. The station is now slowly tumbling along, so fuel that would otherwise have to be used to keep its solar panels facing the Sun can be conserved. Mir lost another 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) of altitude, dropping to 151.4 miles (243.6 kilometers) on Monday. It will soon reach an altitude of 137 miles (220 kilometers), at which point its final descent path must be planned on March 21, give or take a day or two. If atmospheric conditions are not favorable, Mir's fiery plunge could be put off for another day or so, engineers say. A day after that braking engines will be turned on. The deorbiting process is expected to take 45 minutes. If the station is not dumped by ground command, it could remain in orbit until March 28, give or take three days. After that, atmospheric drag will cause it to reenter on its own, with its unburned components possibly crashing on land, ballistics specialists caution.
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