Russia’s Mir space station re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere on a controlled trajectory on March 23, 2001, after having been in orbit for over 15 years. The first element of the station, the Mir Core module, was launched on February 20, 1986. It was the seventh Russian space station and, with its multi-module design, the first of the third generation. Its roots dated back to 1971, to early stations that could not be resupplied, refueled or visited by “guest” crews. The Salyut stations of the late 1970s and early 1980s were successful programs from which Mir grew. Mir was itself a great beginning of more complex space stations of which the International Space Station ISS, currently under construction, is the first one.

Mir now has become a part of space history, but we are retaining these pages and links for the time being as historical documents of interest to users.

Great Mir Links and Information:

• CNN Multimedia Gallery: Maneuver a 3-D model of Mir
• Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan
• Shuttle Mir Web (JSC)
• Russian Space Agency
• Russian Aerospace Guide
• Mir Cooperative Solar Array Project (LeRC)
• Mir Components from Shuttle-Mir Web