A day after the announcement, Albert Condes, NASA s newly-named deputy assistant administrator for external relations, circulated an internal memo commenting on what the changes meant for NASA. "It is likely that there will be additional fall-out for our relationship besides a change in the name and leadership of the agency," Condes writes in the memo, which MSNBC.com obtained a copy of. "While it is too early to tell what may come, it is clear that General Perminov is much less wedded to the human space flight program than Mr. Koptev."

"The agency's new chief will be Colonel-General Perminov, 58, previously commander of the army's space division. "Today Perminov was appointed head of the agency," Itar-Tass quoted Koptev as saying. The former boss said he had already cleared out his office at the agency's headquarters.

"The Russians are in trouble," said James Oberg, author of the book "Star-Crossed Orbits: Inside the U.S. and Russian Space Alliance." "It is probably too late to avoid a devastating loss ... to transfer corporate knowledge and know-how, you have to work side-by-side for years."

"Even in Baikonur - a city created out of Kazakhstan's barren steppe in the 1950s to be the secret heart of the Soviet space program - convincing young Russians to pursue a career in the underfunded and struggling space programme is not an easy task."

"Part of the problem facing the Russians has been convincing young people to forgo the higher salaries of a business career for the space program, where a cosmonaut's salary is now about US$300 a month."

"Wooden dolls, fine chocolate and a teddy bear will give a Russian-Belgian crew a homely atmosphere when they blast off into space Wednesday after a recent fatal cargo rocket explosion."

''Serious conclusions will have to be made as a modified version of this same rocket is due to take a group of cosmonauts to the ISS shortly,'' an official, who asked not to be identified, told Reuters.

"An unmanned Russian Soyuz-U rocket exploded seconds after launching from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in northwest Russia at 1820 GMT on Tuesday, killing one person and injuring eight."

"Ukraine's space agency took over 31 of 130 SS-19s that were deactivated when the former Soviet republic renounced nuclear weapons and transferred all its 1,300 nuclear warheads to Russia for destruction in 1996, ITAR-Tass reported."

"At the third session of the Russo-Chinese sub-Commission on Space Cooperation, which took place on Monday in the Chinese capital, the sides specified 13 spheres of cooperation, drafted requests for proposal and signed a number of documents related to spheres of practical interaction."

"... the space plane under the wreckage was Buran 1.01, which made the only space flight in 1988. Earlier reports suggested that the damaged spacecraft was Buran 1.02, a sister craft that never has flown. Ironically, Buran 1.01 was placed in Building 112 in part because it was considered the safest location for the historic spacecraft."

"Officials at Rosaviakosmos said three columns supporting the roof at building 112, a vast hangar used for Russia's "Buran" (Snowstorm) shuttle spacecraft, had given way. One Buran spacecraft - reportedly the only one of the three built to have flown in space - was inside the building."

"A roof at Russia's Baikonur space complex, the linchpin of the Soviet space program, collapsed Sunday, trapping a number of people, space officials were quoted as saying."

"The exact building has been identified as #112, not (as was suspected from the earlier descriptions) #254 with the ISS support facilities. This building is next door to #254 but is not active in supporting ISS operations; it may support some STARSEM operations but that remains to be determined. "Officials at Rosaviakosmos, Russia's space agency, told Russian media that three columns supporting a roof had given way Sunday morning at building No. 112, a vast hangar used for Russia's "Buran" (Snowstorm) shuttle spacecraft. They said one of the shuttle's models was inside the building."

Editor's note: Sources tell NASA Watch that both Krunichev and Energia are making significant layoffs due to a lack of funds from the Russian Government. The Russians are also making not so subtle hints to other ISS partners that future Progress flights to the ISS may be fewer in number than currently planned - again due to cash problems. Stay tuned.

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"In the past, it has been Russia that put the space station project behind schedule. But [Russian Aerospace Agency Director Yuri] Koptev told a news conference here, "The situation may evolve in such a way that Russia could acquire the leadership in the project."

"As for Russia's prestige as a participant in the ISS project, he believes "the situation may change in such a way that Russia will assume leadership at some point."

[Scroll down] "RFE/RL correspondents quote the KTK TV Channel as reporting that Russia plans to stop operations at the Baikonur space complex in Central Kazakhstan by the end of 2003."

Editor's note: this is most likely not going to happen. Rather, it is more likely that this is a negotiating tactic on the part of Russia as it continues negotiations with Kazakhstan about rental fees for the use of Baikonur.

"Russian defence systems faced a crisis on Saturday when power supplies were cut to a centre monitoring military satellites and some operations of the International Space Station."

"Power was cut to a key Russian space tracking station in the Far East on Saturday because its bill had not been paid, according to news reports."

"Shuttleworth said he had respect for Russian space technology, but was disappointed by their management. "The Russians have achieved an extraordinary amount by sheer force of will. It's amazing to see how they have approached many of the engineering challenges of space flight. "Clearly, however, their space infrastructure is in a state of crisis. Despite the fact that this is a relatively important deal for them, I was astonished at the lack of capacity on their side to deal with the issues that arose," he said. "

"Semenov: Let me tell you this: we have excellent and complete understanding with our US colleagues at the level of people who do the actual work. But at the level of politicians, other motives come into play. You know, when Americans announced about their financial difficulties, and that the station will be completed not by 2004, but rather to 2006, all the other participants - Japan, Canada, and Europe - grew indignant. Because while construction is going on, only Russian and US spacemen work on the station. And what about the others - they too have invested a lot in this project?"

Editor's note: Yuri: there is a curious absence of any mention of the multi-year delays caused by Russia's inability to meet its ISS committments - and of the motives of your own politicans when it came to Mir's status.

"Celebrating our 55th anniversary on August 26, 2001, we can and must be proud of the fact that 40 years ago we prepared and accomplished the flights of the Earth's first envoys to space - Yuri Gagarin and German Titov - and, having traveled a most difficult part of the road of manned exploration of space over all these years, we have gained experience and knowledge which are now being called upon in the new long-term space program of the International Space Station."

"... the General Designer's Review Board made a decision to approve: ... S.P. Korolev RSC Energia proposals to refine the Space Station Russian Segment configuration including the incorporation of the Corporation-produced Enterprise Multi-Purpose Module and simplified science power platform (SPP) in place of full-size SPP previously incorporated into the Russian Segment, as well as incorporation of the Universal Docking Module analog being jointly developed by RSC Energia and M.V. Khrunichev SSSPC in place of the previously project-foreseen Universal Docking Module based on the backup model of the Functional Cargo Block (FGB-2), brining attention to the need of high-priority resolution of the prime concern about the impending work funding. "

"Backers of the pop group Na Na told Izvestia that the band, known for catchy tunes and pretty-boy looks, took a cosmonaut training course for fun before Tito ever got off the ground."

"The Russian space program received less than half the funding it was due in the first five months, leaving it unable to replace aging satellites, Russia's space chief said Wednesday."

"NASA's relations with Russia are still recovering from a ``symmetry of mistrust'' that festered over California businessman Dennis Tito's flight to the International Space Station , U.S. space agency chief Daniel Goldin said in a Reuters interview."

"The Minister for Industry, Science and Resources, Senator Nick Minchin, and Mr Yuri Koptev, Director-General of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency, signed an historic agreement today for cooperation between the two nations on space activities."

"Australia has signed an historic agreement with Russia which moves a step closer to developing space launch facilities at Christmas Island and Woomera in Central Australia. It allows for future cooperation in areas such as radioastronomy, satellite navigation, space medicine and remote sensing."

"Yuri Semyonov, head of the Energiya corporation, which built Russia's section of the station, said Mr Goldin's comments were "absolutely incompetent, to put it mildly." Mr Tito would "not press any buttons or insolently stick his nose somewhere. And he will definitely not try to lift the Iron Curtain that they have put up there."

"Yuri Semyonov, head of the state-controlled RKK Energia space corporation, said space experts concluded that the Soyuz will be able to dock with the space station even while the shuttle is there." ... "The Americans should solve the problems they're having on the ISS themselves,'' Semyonov said."

"Russia is to launch a mission to the International Space Station on Saturday, despite a US space agency (NASA) request for a delay so that computer problems can be fixed. NASA has warned that, if the Russian mission goes ahead as planned, it could jeopardise the safety of everyone on board. "

"Russia has decided to go ahead with the launch of a Soyuz spacecraft to dock with an International Space Station hit by major computer glitches, a Russian space source said on Friday. But a senior Russian space official made clear any decision could be reconsidered hours before the planned launch on Saturday if Russian and U.S. experts failed to fix ISS computer problems which emerged on Tuesday."

Editor's note: NASA has already formally asked Russia to delay the Soyuz launch and has elaborated the valid reasons why. Russia should do the responsible thing as a "partner" and honor the request. Alas, Russia once again demonstrates that it is incapable of cooperating on this issue in an adult-like fashion and is forcing things to the brink.

Yuri Semyonov's words speak for themselves. In his mind, when there is a problem, the U.S. should fix (or pay for) things. When there's a chance to push the agreement to get a larger share than previously agreed to, then Russia pushes (or demands money).

Is this the sort of behavior that we can expect over the life of the ISS program from Russia? Sadly, given that this has become a well practiced pattern, it would seem to be a preview of things to come. The U.S. and the other ISS partners seem unable and/or unwilling to stand up to Russia.

"NASA is aghast that the Russians arranged the deal behind the backs of other space station partners, and is pressuring Moscow to bump Tito's trip into October so he can receive adequate training. Officials from the United States, Russia, Canada, Japan and Europe will have a teleconference this week in hopes of ending the standoff."

"No one from NASA may attend or participate in any way whatsoever the conference that will take place in Moscow on April 11-14. This conference may be referred to in at least four different ways, so we need to make sure everyone understands what we're talking about." ... "The restriction against NASA participation comes directly from Mr. Goldin."

"Over the last few years, much of the Western press coverage of Mir has had a distinctly uncharitable, almost juvenile flavor. The world has, almost gleefully at times, reported the station's dotage, allowing its glory days to fade virtually to oblivion. Only in recent days have Western editorials begun to redress the balance."

"The smooth deorbiting of Mir drew a mixed reaction, with some Communists in parliament calling for the ouster of the country's space chief only to hear the prime minister publicly praise space officials for engineering a trouble-free demise of Russia's manned space-exploration program. "

Editor's note: Early Friday morning I listened to the verbal descriptions from CNN's correspondent on a beach in Fiji as he watched, in obvious awe, while Mir sped overhead in its final death throes. An image began to form in my mind. Hours later, when I saw his video, the mental image was replaced with a real one - and reminded me of something I had experienced (and felt) before. Later in the day it dawned on me. It was Star Trek III and the destruction of the Enterprise I was thinking of. A venerable ship that had served well beyond its expectations - meeting its end while its former crew looked on.

"The Bottom Line on Viewing -- While the people on Fiji had a better view (Hugh Williams of CNN took the pictures from the beach of the hotel we were staying at ... kind of ironic), and while Hugh got great pictures because he was there to interview us (even more ironic), we were the last humans to see Mir in its death throes. Plus, we were with the Russians (I was really struck by the picture you posted making the allusion to Star Trek III.) I will only say that is was an intensely private moment for our Russian friends."

"When the Mir crew ran out of alcohol reserves, they would often go on "treasure-seeking" expeditions for more, tearing down interior panels to find bottles hidden by previous crews, said Alexander Poleshchuk, who spent six months on board Mir in 1993."

"The process by which commencement speakers are elected is a mixture of student input and committee action, with President Charles M. Vest making the ultimate decision. "

Editor's note: Charles Vest served on the Space Station Redesign Blue RIbbon panel in 1993-1994.

"Tito says he is unavailable for a later mission in October. The contract he signed Jan. 29 specifies an April 30 launch to the Russian segment of the station."

Editor's note: I find it rather curious that someone who has waited this long to fulfil a dream - someone who commands enough financial clout to make others adapt to his schedule - would be "unavailable". There is one way Mr. Tito can pave the way for others to follow: Get the additional training, get the insurance, and fly in October. Do that and NASA will have no grounds to stand on. Once Tito has blazed the trail and met the ISS program's requirements, it will be rather hard for NASA - or ESA, NASDA, and CSA to ever throw up such an excuse again.

Personal note to Dennis Tito: Sure this scares NASA - someone who doesn't conform to their hallowed ideal of the "right stuff" wants to fly in space and play with their toys. You have an opportunity here - either you can try and force your way onto the ISS and be remembered as being a pushy millionaire, or you can show some patience and be remembered as the agent of change who forced NASA to adapt to a new paradigm - one where space is no longer the exclusive domain of hand-chosen government employees.

It's up to you Dennis.

Editor's note: I make the same points vis-a-vis Mr. Tito in this interview.

"The State Duma deems it expedient to relieve Mr. Yuri Koptev from its post of the head of the Russian Aerospace Agency on the grounds that he erroneously informed the President and the Russian government of the available potential to continue the operation of the Mir. Mr. Koptev bear personal responsibility for the Mir's premature liquidation, and also for increasingly drawing Russia into the costly and technically unjustified ISS project."

"MirCorp also wanted to import from the United States a tether that would have provided power to Mir, reducing the need for re-supply rockets and saving the space station. But the U.S. State Department, under pressure from NASA, delayed the export license for 10 months, until after Energia decided to bring down the Mir. Top NASA officials did not want competition."

"Mir was bulldozed to make way for International Space Station Alpha,'' said Foundation President, Rick Tumlinson, "regardless of the fact that a group of Americans were working with the Russians and investing their own funds in the MirCorp firm to keep it up and transform it into a symbol of free enterprise.'' He continued, ``If not for constant pressure from the US government and a very negative PR campaign, Mir could have been a source of income and jobs, instead of a sad display in the night sky.''

"We are offering, here on eBay, for a limited time, the one, the only, Crashing MIR Space Station Detecto Hat. Made of the best stainless steel double-handled colander five dollars could buy and a modicum of ultra-high quality aluminum foil, this Detecto-Hat is GUARANTEED to alert you exactly one nanosecond before it hits that some of the aforementioned "flaming debris" is about to land on you!"

Editor's note: alas, bidding is closed for this item.

"Taco Bell is offering a free taco to everyone in the United States if the core of the Mir space station hits a floating Taco Bell target placed in the South Pacific."

According to Seleznyov, Russia should raise Mir to a higher orbit and later modernize it, using a backup version of the Zarya module. Zarya, built for NASA by the Russian Khrunichev company, was launched in November 1998 to became the first segment of the International Space Station.

"State Duma speaker Gennady Seleznyov said a new space lab, dubbed Mir 2, would ensure Russia kept pace in space with the United States, which he accused of trying to dominate the cosmos."

Editor's note: five things to consider while arm waving, Gennady:

1. Face the facts - your country is not even going to have the financial capability to meet all of its obligations to one space station program, never mind trying to do so for two space stations;
2. The laws of orbital mechanics are simply not in your favor - Mir is going to be toast no matter what you do;
3. It would be cheaper to launch a new Service Module backup into the orbit currently occupied by ISS than to refurbish Mir where it is now, pull off the old stuff, and then move it to where ISS is;
4. The Progress vehicles required to loft Mir, send new parts, and then move Mir in the timeframe required are utterly beyond Russia's ability to manufacture and payfor; and
5. You'll need to name your new space station "Mir 3" - there was a sign next to the Service Module on the shop floor for a number of years that said "Mir 2". Mir 2 is now part of the ISS.

"Khatami and his delegation showed intense interest in mission control's work, asking whether Mir flies over the United States on its orbits and even asking whether they could chat with the ISS crew. The ISS was out of contact, Russian officials said. Yuri Koptev, head of the Russian Aerospace Agency, said the tour underlined Russia and Iran's intentions to cooperate in the field of space and aviation."

"The United States has expressed concerns about arms sales to Iran, which it considers a "rogue state.'' Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that his country would only provide weapons that met Tehran's defense needs."

"The Senate voted unanimously yesterday to require President Clinton to certify that Russia's space agency has not aided Iran's missile program before the United States can help pay for Russia's contribution to the international space station."

"We never did get much science out of Mir," says Laurence Young, director of the Space Biomedical Institute, a NASA-funded group. "In terms of life sciences, they really got most of their measurements before and after flights." The scientific method apparently favors the procedure-bound American approach to things."

"There are international guidelines to advise operators of the safest way to dispose of their satellites. International Treaties, under the United Nations, identify responsibility and potential liabilities associated with the operation of space vehicles. As the 'Launching State,' Russia is responsible for any impact or results of the MIR re-entry in accordance with, for example, Article VII and VIII of the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space Including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies."

"Yuri Koptev: .... I just want to remind you that in the history of our cosmonautics we had a bad experience when the Russian satellite with nuclear power unit fell on the territory of Canada. It caused a great scandal all over the world. We had to pay an indemnity in the amount of 6,5 million US dollars. In so doing, we got off cheap, to put it mildly."

"Article VII: Each State Party to the Treaty that launches or procures the launching of an object into outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies, and each State Party from whose territory or facility an object is launched, is internationally liable for damage to another State Party to the Treaty or to its natural or juridical persons by such object or its component parts on the Earth, in air or in outer space, including the moon and other celestial bodies."

"Next week, the Mir space station is scheduled to be brought down. While some rue lost opportunities for further research, many others are feting the creaky old station for 15 years of unexpectedly robust research--the longest running space laboratory ever. "

"However, John Rummel believes the idea of space fungi mutating into something significantly different from fungi on Earth is "fanciful," said the NASA planetary protection officer. "Cosmonauts and astronauts have been up to and down from Mir all the time, and there's no indication that they've faced any different problems different from normal earth fungi," Rummel told United Press International from NASA headquarters in Washington. "Problems on Mir are reasonably well known. I don't think that conditions on Mir are any more dangerous than they are on Earth."

"Mir does have its own small ecosystem up there," said microbiologist James Staley, head researcher for the University of Washington's new astrobiology program, which is funded by a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation.Ê"But I would be surprised if there was a real potential hazard. This fungus would have too much to compete with here on Earth to survive," Mr. Staley said. "

"Yuri Karash, an expert on the Russian space program, said there was a possibility that micro-organisms, which have spent the last 15 years mutating in isolation aboard Mir, could present a threat if they survived the fall to Earth. "I wouldn't overstate it ... but a realistic problem exists,'' Karash told a news conference."

Editor's note: as a biologist I just can't resist the urge to state that Mr. Karash's statement is just plain goofy - and demonstrates a clear lack of "experise" on his part. If nothing else, this doesn't even pass the sanity test: people have been coming and going to Mir for more than a decade providing ample opportunities for Yuri's putative mutant microbes to return to Earth. Were there to be such an "X-files" like threat from Mir it would have manifested itself a long time ago. FYI Yuri will be covering the crash of Mir for space.com aboard the mirreentry.com plane.

Update: One NASA Watch reader replied that "I assume there will be a special about this on Fox Network next week...". As a matter of fact, Fox will be airing its Moon hoax special again next week.

"The Mir station will de-orbit as an integral body without separation into modules and separation of the Progress M1-5 vehicle from it. The cargo vehicle propulsion system will impart several braking impulses in series to the station to provide accurate generation of the trajectory of bringing to the target point. No hazard exists that the station will spontaneously divide into modules and fragments before de-orbiting. Beginning from the altitude of about 120 km, when the station with the cargo vehicle passes the upper atmosphere, as a result of increasing aerodynamic drag followed by heating of structural elements to several thousand degrees fragments will begin to separate as from an ordinary meteor body entering the Earth atmosphere at a tremendous velocity. These fragments will, in its turn, fall to smaller pieces. "

"EMA's Director General, David Templeman, today (Monday, 5 March) delivered a media briefing on EMA's role in relation to the re-entry of the Russian Mir Space Station. In attendance at Northbourne House were members of the Parliamentary Press Gallery, overseas media, and local Canberra media representatives. The briefing documents have also been provided to media representatives (mainly radio) in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland."

"We, humanity, are throwing one station away because we can't afford to maintain it, and we're making its successor smaller because we can't afford to build it. This isn't the 2001 I was brought up to expect,'' [NASA Watch editor Keith] Cowing said.

"Take your space in history! Join an elite group of adventurers as they travel into the sky to secure the best possible view of Mir's fiery return to earth. While others witness this historic event from their living room sofas, you can be there, 30,000 feet up, and just 200 miles away from this once-in-a-lifetime event."

"We offer congratulations to you and your staff on this significant event and wish you all good health, happiness, new creative achievements and victories, which to our belief will give glory to the Russian cosmonautics!"

"Mir's defenders in Russia say the space station has to be preserved as a symbol of national pride. But space agency chief Koptev told reporters, "Flying a space station that threatens the entire world isn't the best way to show our greatness."

"Yuri Koptev: .... I just want to remind you that in the history of our cosmonautics we had a bad experience when the Russian satellite with nuclear power unit fell on the territory of Canada. It caused a great scandal all over the world. We had to pay an indemnity in the amount of 6,5 million US dollars. In so doing, we got off cheap, to put it mildly."

"Yuri Koptev: .... I want to comment on what has been said about brand, know-how and so on. You see, this approach was already implemented under the ISS Project. The contribution of Russia to the total cost of the Project estimated at 100 bn US dollars is less than 6%, but at the expense of its new technologies , new concepts and approaches Russia has the right to dispose of one-third of the station resources. This means that our share is one third with a less than 6% of the investment made."

Editor's note: Wow, I wonder who negotiated this deal for the U.S.? According to Yuri's numbers (or his translator), it would seem that paying the lion's share of the cost of the ISS (as the U.S. has) does not equate to a proportional share of its utilization.

"To a large extent there isn't much we can do about Mir if it hits us, apart from basically warning people not to go near it until proper authorities arrive," says Patrick Helm, chairman of New Zealand's ad hoc Satellite Re-Entry Committee."

"On the 15th anniversary of the Mir space station cosmonauts, scientists and others called for protests Tuesday against the planned end of what was once the symbol of Russia's space glory."

"The MIR Station has become the first International On-orbit Laboratory. By its flight it has confirmed not only a long-duration operation capability of the composite space engineering facility, but has paved the way for development of the next generation of manned stations in the XXI century, namely the International Space Station, which project has implemented virtually all major principles tested at the MIR Station, among which are maintainability, adaptability, modular structure, crew flight safety, effective transport and maintenance system."

Editor's note: Yes, I guess having on-board fires, failed life support systems, constantly loosing GN&C, and crashing cargo transports into Mir did provide valuable experience about how NOT to do things on ISS.

"Four senior Mir Cosmonauts, one of the preeminent designers of the Mir Space Station, and a noted Russian space journalist and historian will be joining MirReentry.com, a private American airborne expedition to witness Mir's spectacular plunge through the Earth's atmosphere between March 13-18. "

"A spokesman for space agency Rosaviakosmos said data from the 15-year-old station showed it was likely to plunge into the Pacific Ocean between March 13 and 18, rather than March 5 and 8 as originally calculated."

"In mid-March, a few dozen lucky people will bear witness to a spectacular pyrotechnic display as Russia's legendary Mir Space Station re-enters the Earth's atmosphere in the remote South Pacific seas. A small group of space exploration professionals and enthusiasts are organizing the expedition on a specially chartered and equipped jet to provide an ideal aerial vantage point for watching and scientifically analyzing Mir's luminous retirement."

"According to reports by the ITAR-TASS news agency, about 200 people recently rallied outside Moscow's city hall to protest against Mir's impending destruction. "

"A small group of space enthusiasts plans to charter an aircraft to witness up close the event of a lifetime -- the fiery death next month of the Russian Mir space station as it hurtles into the South Pacific. The expedition, thought to be the only one of its kind in the world, will take some 120 researchers and paying members of the public 30,000 feet up into the skies south of Tahiti."

"Anatoly Kiselyov, who headed the Khrunichev State Research and Production Center for 26 years, was relieved of his duties, and the president appointed Kiselyov's deputy Alexander Medvedev to succeed him, the Kremlin press service said."

"We've all taken our turns being wrong about Mir, but in honor of its final demise, we should try one last time -- while it still lives -- to recognize it for what it is, for what it has done and for what it all means. Many ''lessons'' have been derived from Mir experiences, many of them priceless, a lot of them wrong and a few of them potentially dangerous. "

"Ground controllers have been unable to restart the gyroscopes that align the Mir space station, but space officials insisted Monday that the problem wouldn't affect an upcoming docking with a cargo ship intended to push the orbiter down for good."

"The last Progress spacecraft to travel to Mir is being readied once again for launch. Power problems aboard Mir forced a delay until 24 January 2001. Once launched, the mission of the Progress spacecraft is to bring the aging space station back to Earth and crash it into the Pacific Ocean. Much of Mir's 130+ ton structure is expected to survive reentry. As such, Earth's oldest space station will then take on a new life - as an artificial coral reef."

"Russia's Space Agency, creators of the 14 year old Mir, announced today its plans to replace the soon to be destroyed station with a new one, the ITAR-TASS news agency reported."

"Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Kasyanov has signed a resolution ordering that the aged Mir space station be taken out of orbit and sunk into the ocean early this year, the Russian space agency said Friday. "

"Russia has postponed by 48 hours the launch of the supply vessel Progress which is to set the doomed space station Mir on its path for a crashdown into the Pacific ocean, space agency officials told AFP Thursday. The Progress would now be launched from the Baikonur space station in Kazakhstan, on January 18, the two-day delay to the original schedule being due to "technical reasons," the officials said."