Mir dumping delayed

Some of the Mir will burn up as it enters the Earth's atmosphere

MOSCOW, Russia -- Russian space officials have postponed the dumping of the Mir space station until mid-March.

The 15-year-old station will be brought down between March 13 and 18, said Sergei Gorbunov, the chief spokesman of the Russian Aerospace Agency, ITAR-Tass news agency reported.

The dumping had previously been scheduled for around March 6.

Experts have predicted that atmospheric conditions during the later period would allow more of the orbiter to be burned up as it enters the Earth's atmosphere.

Moscow reluctantly decided late last year to finally bring down the Mir, which has been the cause of safety concerns in recent years.

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Since being launched on February 20, 1986, Mir has been home to more than 100 cosmonauts and foreign astronauts.

Once it re-enters the Earth's atmosphere the remnants should land in the Pacific Ocean, near 47 degrees south latitude and 140 degrees west longitude -- about halfway between New Zealand and Chile.

Officials have said that chunks of the Mir, some weighing up to 700 kilograms (1,500 pounds), would survive the fiery re-entry and splash into the ocean half an hour after the orbiter enters the atmosphere.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Mir cargo vessel abandoned
January 29, 2001
Last rendezvous for Mir
January 27, 2001
Beginning of the end for Mir
January 24, 2001
'Controlled' Mir re-entry promised
December 27, 2000

Mir Space Station
Russian Space Industry

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