Re: starship-design: Mir being brought down?

[Ctrl_E <ctrl_e@creator.dp.ua>]

In a message dated 11/17/00 3:53:39 PM, stk@sunherald.infi.net writes:

>Hello All:
>I heard that Mir is supposed to be 'brought down' (burned up in
>atmosphere) in or around February. The last I heard, the Russians were
>planning to renovate it and use it for a few more years. ??? Anyone
>know
>what caused them to change their minds? Or have I heard wrong?
>
>--Kyle R. Mcallister
>>
> You heard right.  Best guess they didn't want to say they might bring
>it 
>> down, for fear it would scare away investors.  But they didn't get any
>> anyway, so they can't afford to renovate and maintain it.
>> 
>> Kelly

The matter is, in fact, that the russians are not going to supply
their space research adminisration with finances enough to maintain Mir
on orbit. Russian military officials (you know, all the russian space
property is managed by militiants, as it was long before during Soviet
times) claim that 'Mir can still be held in order, though it wasn't
initially designed to remain operational for such a long period of 14
years', but '...its renovation and maintenance does cost
approximatedly 200 million dollars per year (of course, they didn't
actually say 'dollars'), so, our budget is not able to cope with such
an amount. Mir project will be now stopped to clear the way (i.e.
funds) for newer and advanced technologies'.

Russians suppose to bury Mir into the abyss of the Pacific to the end
of February.

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