It would be unrealistic to try to build a highly accurate mathematical model of the braking, reentry of dense layers of the atmosphere, passing through the atmosphere and falling into the ocean for a 130-ton complex consisting of numerous modules with a large surface area, Kiselyov said.

The situation in lower space and in the atmosphere changes daily, he said. "It depends on numerous factors such as solar flares, the relative positions of the planets and variations of atmospheric density," he said.

Engineers know for sure that the very strong steel spherical bottles, parts of large frames in the main module and Kvant, Kristall, Spektr and Priroda modules, gyros and rocket engines will not burn up in the atmosphere and will fall to earth, Kiselyov continued.

Station elements will fall over a swath 8,000-10,000 kilometers long and 200 kilometers wide, he said. There is some probability that they will fall over land, Kiselyov said.

"There are several ways of de-orbiting the Russian orbital complex and sinking it in the desired area of the Pacific Ocean. I favor the de- orbiting control from inside the station, with the crew supervising the descent and the initial phase of braking from inside the station," Kiselyov said.

The preparation for de-orbiting will take a lot of time because all the cables laid through the modules during the 14 years of the station's life have to be disconnected, the fixtures from inter-modular hatches removed and the accuracy of the initial braking thrusts the of rocket engines supervised, he said.

Russian Aerospace Agency head Yuri Koptev has been reported as saying that the Russian Cabinet might pass an resolution concerning the final stage of operating Mir on Thursday.

The Russian government at its Thursday session is expected to approve a resolution on the final stage of use for the space station Mir, director of the Russian Aerospace Agency Yuri Koptyev told Interfax on Wednesday.

He said that Mir has been operating in orbit for about 14 years. The draft resolution binds the ministries of foreign affairs, emergency situations, defense and others to compose a package of documents to guarantee the safe withdrawal of Mir from operation.

Koptev said that under international agreements, Russia is responsible to other countries for the safe removal of its spacecraft from orbit.

"We must guarantee that Mir will not drop on someone, to put it plainly," he said. There was a case when a military satellite with a nuclear reactor fell on Canadian territory, he said.

Flash
Mir To be Destroyed February 27: Koptev
Moscow (AFP) Nov. 16, 2000 - Russia's ageing Mir space station, which has been in orbit for 14 years, will be destroyed on February 27-28 next year, Russian space agency chief, Yury Koptev announced Thursday.

Copyright 2000 Interfax. All rights reserved. The material on this page is provided by Interfax and may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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