A photo of Mir taken from a shuttle (STS-81) window.
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of NASA
Mir's Long Journey Comes to an End
News story originally written on June 1, 1999
After 13 long years of service, the Mir Space Station will finally meet its end. The Russian spacecraft has been running well, but a low amount of money has forced the Russian government to halt the project.
Presently, the Mir costs $250 million a year to stay in operation, which is just too much for the Russian government. Unless private sources are found, the station will have its last crew in August. The station will slowly lose its orbit over the rest of the year. Sometime next year, around March, the Mir will be forced to descend and burn through the Earth's atmosphere.
Russian space officials are reluctant to give up the antique, which remains as the last piece of the country's history in space. The United States, however, is anxious for the Russians to give up on the Mir and concentrate on the International Space Station, which is already behind schedule.
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