The Mir space station is one of the most important programs of the Space Age. During the last half-century, humanity has witnessed what is sure to be a significant event in the evolution of human culture -- the beginning of the conquest of space.

Mir stands among the most important space events of the past four decades, which are: the launching of the very first satellite from Planet Earth, Sputnik 1; the orbiting of the very first human in space, Yuri Gagarin; the first landing of humans on the Moon, Project Apollo; and the first long-duration continuous human habitation of space, Mir.

During its brief history, space exploration has permeated every aspect of human culture -- from rapid worldwide communications to instantaneous global access to information made possible by hundreds of Earth-orbiting satellites.

But there is another dimension to space exploration that cannot be measured in dollars or in education, as important as these may be. It is the fact that humans have begun to open up a new frontier that will become an integral part of human experience in the future.

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By providing the world with the first long-duration habitation facility in Earth orbit, Mir has paved the way for the International Space Station; for human return to the Moon; and for human missions to, and eventual settlement of, Mars. These activities will certainly take place within the coming millennium, and we humans have to be grateful and respectful of the men and women who conceived, built, lived on and operated the Mir space station during its 15-year history.

The demise of Mir is not the end of the preeminent space facility. It is just the end of the beginning of future permanent human habitation of our space frontier.