Cosmonauts Arrive For Last Mir mission?

Russian President Vladimir Putin watches the underwater training of cosmonauts in a swimming pool at the cosmonauts training center in Star City near Moscow 02 March 2000. Putin visited the cosmonauts's training center and called for extending lifetime of the Mir space station, the last symbol of the once-glorious Soviet space program. TASS Pool Photo

Cosmonauts Arrive For Last Mir mission?
Baikonur (AFP) March 29, 2000 - The two cosmonauts expected to take part in the final mission to Russia's Mir space station arrived at the Baikonour launch pad Wednesday to start final preparations.

The Russian space agency said commander Sergei Zaletin and engineer Alexander Kaleri, who are expected to blast off on April 4, were expected to stay in space for at least 45 days.

"Everything depends on the financing," said agency spokesman Yuri Kubarev. "If we find the money, the mission could last 70 or even 90 days."

He added that a decision on the future of the Mir station would be taken at the end of April.

Keeping the space station going until August will cost about 26 million dollars, he said.

Mir has been uninhabited since August last year when it had been planned for decommissioning.

Russia is short of money for Mir and its share of a planned international space station. But on January 20, the government decided to send another crew to the station using financing from a private foreign company.

SPACE TRAVEL
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Cosmonauts Arrive For Last Mir mission?

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