Mir's last sigh

8 years ago, on 23rd March 2001 at 05:50:00 UTC, an object weighing 124,340 kgs entered the Earth's atmosphere and moments later ceased to exist.

5,519 days and 3,638,470,307 kms later the Mir space station had become etched in history as one of the most widely known and the 'world's first consistently inhabited long-term research station in space.'

On the occasion of its death anniversary, I thought it worth to mention a few interesting facts

1. The station was in orbit for more than 14 years
2. It orbited 225 miles (362 kilometers) above Earth - about the distance from New York City to Boston
3. It circled the planet about 16 times a day.
4. It moved at about 17,500 m.p.h. (28,163 kilometers per hour).
5. It consisted six modules carrying 11.3 tons (11,481 kilograms) of equipment
6. Overall, the complex weighed about 130 tons (132,080 kilograms).
7. It included 6 modules arranged in a T-shape.
8. Mir was home to more than 100 cosmonauts, astronauts and other visitors.
9. Cosmonaut Valery Polyakov set the record for the longest stay in space and on Mir -- 438 days in 1994-95.
10. Equipment on Mir was manufactured in 27 countries.
11. More than 16,500 experiments were conducted on the station.
12. Some 24 international programs have been realized on Mir during its life in orbit.
13. The station's development resulted in more than 600 new technologies, which later turned out to be useful to industry; and
14. Mir in Russian means either Peace or World! (I prefer peace!)

Footnotes

List of Mir Expeditions
List of Mir spacewalks
List of spacecraft and crews that visited Mir

Image Courtesy: NASA