On Friday, March 23, 2001, after 15 years of dedicated service to Russia, the venerable Mir spacestation will be intentionally de-orbited to reenter the Earth's atmosphere and crash into the South Pacific Ocean.
This special page was designed to serve as a reference for people who want details about the reentry, as well as general history and information about Mir.
At the time of this writing, the reentry was a complete success. Mir reentered at 0600 GMT (1:00am EST) into an unpopulated area of the South Pacic Ocean.
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Destruction images courtesy of Analytical Graphics.
| Mir Merchandise | ||||
Mir Commemorative Apparel from Countdown Creations
Countdown Creations is proud to offer a special line of apparel to commemorate the 15th anniversary and reentry of the Russian Mir space station. To order or for more information, please follow the links below...
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| Latest News |
 Mir's Last Day in Space
March 23, 2100 GMT (4:00pm EST) - The Russian Mir spacestation finally ended its 15-year mission early this morning as it was intentionally deorbited, and crashed into a remote location in the South Pacific Ocean. The crash occurred at approximately 0600 GMT (1:00am EST) at a location of 40 degrees South, 160 degrees West, and initial reports indicate that no damage was caused as the station smashed into the ocean.
Special Report:
Universe Today Coverage of the Mir Reentry
Internet Coverage: BBC News - CNN Space - MSNBC - NY Times  Related Products: Countdown Creations - Commemorate the long-lived Mir station with your own shirt, flight jacket, or patch.
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| Older News |
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Mir's Last Day in Space - March 22, 2001 Mir Gets Ready with Final Maneuver - March 21, 2001 The Complexities of Bringing Down Mir - March 20, 2001 Mir Reentry Scheduled for March 22nd - March 15, 2001 Mir Could Contaminate Earth with Mutated Fungi - March 7, 2001 $200 Million Mir Mishap Insurance - March 7, 2001 US Company Offers Trips to Watch Mir Crash - February 23, 2001 Mir Turns Fifteen - February 21, 2001 Mir Crash Delayed a Week - February 16, 2001 Progress Docks with Mir, Bringing Fuel and Certain Doom - January 29, 2001 Progress Launches to Help Bring Down Mir - January 24, 2001 Click here for the full archive of Mir News |
| Reference Guide |
Current Location This is the current position of the Mir spacestation, calculated by the NASA Liftoff to Space Exploration pages. If you would like to track Mir or other objects in space, please take a look at their homepage, or visit Heaven's Above - a website that helps you calculate when you'll be able to see spacecraft and satellites overhead.  Crash Area When it does come down, Mir is anticipated to crash into an area of the South Pacific Ocean, 2,000 km East of New Zealand. Internet Resources Energia Mir - The Russian company that built Mir in the first place. MirCorp - Company that was managing and promoting Mir up until the Russian Space Agency announced its reentry. Mark Wade's Encyclopedia Astronautica - Possibly the most detailed reference guide and timeline on the Mir spacestation on the Internet. Mirreentry.com - Adventure travel company organizing a plane flight out to watch Mir as it crashes through the atmosphere and into the ocean. |
