Mir Space Station’s Demise Set for March 20

Russian space officials on Wednesday set March 20 for dumping the Mir space station, saying they want to wait until the craft drifts closer to Earth before giving it a final shove toward a fiery plunge into the Pacific Ocean. However, they warned that the date for Mir’s long-delayed demise might still vary, depending on solar activity, which expands the atmosphere and creates friction with the 15-year-old station.

Space officials previously said they would start to prepare for Mir’s controlled descent after its orbit drops to 155 miles by the end of this week. But Deputy Mission Control chief Viktor Blagov said Wednesday that space engineers decided to let the orbiter descend to 132 miles before discarding it.

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--Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II