The storied history of the Mir space station includes collisions, a fire, and political change. But it also consists of unprecedented long-duration spaceflights and scientific studies – and without it, the International Space Station may never have been built. Nine ten years ago, the journey of the 15-year-old Russian space station ended. On March 23, 2001, Mir re-entered the Earth's atmosphere near Nadi, Fiji, and fell into the South Pacific. The planned and controlled re-entry began when the engines of a cargo ship docked to Mir were fired causing the station's orbit to brake, starting Mir's descent. The video here shows both real and computer generated images of the breakup of the 143-ton station as it descended to Earth.
Did you see they had a mid-air collision in training this week?
