|
 |
 advertisement
| |
|
|
|
|
|
Japan Cautions Okinawa Residents to Stay Indoors During Mir"s Final Pass
By Interfax
posted: 08:05 am ET
21 March 2001
|
mir_update_010321 Japan's crisis management minister Bummei Ibuki said Wednesday he will ask local governments to request that people stay indoors while the abandoned Russian space station Mir descends through the atmosphere to crash into the Pacific. ''Although the possibility of damage that may come from falling debris is slight, I will ask the local governments to inform the public to stay indoors as much as possible during the time, as there is a risk,'' he said at a press conference. Ibuki, who is also chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, said government personnel in crisis and disaster management roles at cabinet offices will be on full alert to deal with any incidents involving the 15-year-old space station's reentry. [uplink] Last Friday, Ibuki asked local governments in Okinawa Prefecture, southwestern Japan, to tell residents to stay in their homes or offices on the day Mir is expected to pass over the region. Russia has said that the 134-ton station will plunge to Earth on Friday afternoon Japan time. Mir, the largest object ever to be deorbited, is expected to break up during its descent, with most of it burning up before it reaches Earth. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology compiled an analysis on Mir's descent route. According to the analysis, Mir is expected to fire its engines for descent around 2 p.m. Japan time (12 a.m. EST; 05:00 GMT) Friday above the Black Sea. The spacecraft will pass above the Japanese archipelago for more than 10 seconds and eventually begin to drop into the south Pacific shortly after 3 p.m. Japan time (1 a.m. EST; 06:00 GMT). Mir is likely to pass over Shimane, Hiroshima, Kagawa and Tokushima prefectures -- all in western Japan -- at an altitude between 105 and 93 miles (170 and 150 kilometers), the ministry said, adding there will be no danger if the descent is made as planned. However, the ministry said the route may deviate about 185 miles (300 kilometers) east or west of the expected course.
|
|
|
|
|
