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Russia plans Mir's doom
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THE space station Mir will plunge to a fiery demise on March 22, according to Russian space officials, the first time such a specific for the re-entry of the orbiting outpost has been given.
The initially designated area in southern Pacific Ocean, where the Mir pieces are expected to fall into, has changed slightly because several deserted islands belonging to France are located there, Solovyev told a press conference at Mission Control Centre outside Moscow.
According to Mir flight director Vladimir Solovyev, three rocket engine bursts will be used to bring the station down. The manoeuvre will employ all the station's engines as well as the main engine of the Progress cargo ship, now docked with the Mir, will be put into operation.
Solovyev said the control centre has played out a large number of emergency scenarios and ways to deal with them. For example, he said, if Mir's batteries unexpectedly run down, which could result in the shutting down of the station's control systems, the control centre would switch to the backup system to control Mir's movements.
Regarding to malfunction of the central onboard computer, which had happened repeatedly before, Solovyev said the center would use the computer on the Progress as an alternative.
The centre has enough confidence over the reliability of the Progress' control system, which is monitored round the clock.
The director also noted that the tourist planes and ships, which are expected to stay close to the area where Mir's fragments will fall, are not likely to see much.
The parts of Mir that have not burned up in the atmosphere will fall in the Pacific area where nobody resides and no ship will pass by, he added.(Xinhua)
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