In a spectacular show of light and sound, the Mir space station finally
plunged into the Pacific Ocean at 0558 GMT on 23 March. The final command to the
station at 0507 GMT sent Mir fragments blazing towards the target area. “It may
have been some seconds early, but it was within the safety zone,” said physicist
Pat Helm, an adviser to New Zealand’s Prime Minister Helen Clark. Many were sad
to see the end of Mir’s 15-year career
(New Scientist, 10 March, p 5).
“People talked about the troubled Mir, but it was nevertheless a useable
workhorse,” says…
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