For thirteen years, Mir has served as a "permanent" orbiting space station. Now, it's empty, and its fate is uncertain. If there's a future for Mir, it may be as a movie set or a hotel, but not as the planet's only home away from home. The International Space Station takes over that role. A more dramatic end to the Mir saga is also being planned: a fiery return through earth's atmosphere.

As this chapter of space history draws to a close, space.com pays tribute to Mir, remembering its contributions and preparing for its future.

 The Last Hurrah

• ...or is it?
• Home at Last!
• With Heavy Hearts, Mir Crew Says Good-bye
• Russians Face End of an Era with Mir Crew's Departure
• Mir Crew Readies to Leave Orbit
• Crew Prepares to Leave Mir
• Current Mir Crew Says It Is The Last
• VIDEO: Three Space Residents Leave Mir for Last Time (669k)
• VIDEO: Soyuz Capsule and Mir Separate (544k)

• Mir: The Guest Book
• Seven Americans Called Mir Home
• Mir's Thrills & Chills
• Building Mir, Step by Step
• Soyuz: The Space Workhorse

• Russia Reportedly Planning Mini-Station to Prolong Mir
• Russia Needs Mir, Protesters Tell Muscovites

• Russia's Mir Has New Computer in Control
• At Last -- Mir Supply Rocket Takes Off
• Is Mir Going to Run Out of Supplies? Depends Whom You Ask

• Mir Movie Back on Course

• When Space Stations Fall...