Mir's fate is decided

Pravda.ru has already announced yestreday that RF prime minister Mikhail Kasyanov has signed a decree ordering the destruction of the space station Mir, that has been orbiting earth for almost fifteen years. Space officials said a supply craft will be launched in late-February to take the final stocks of fuel to Mir; the fuel will be used to give Mir the momentum required for sending it into earth's atmosphere, BBC reports. The one-hundred-and-thirty tonne space station, which was originally only built to last for five years, is expected to disintegrate as it re-enters the atmosphere. The remaining fragments will splash down into the Pacific Ocean. More than a hundred Russian and foreign spacemen have flown in Mir, carrying out scentific experiments, during its time in service. The spacecraft has been unmanned since August last year.