Mir space station is slowly descending

Today the average altitude of the Russian space station Mir constitutes 227.9 kilometres. It subsided by 3 kilometres in the last 24 hours, the press center of the Russian Flight Control Center reported. According to the center's specialists, the required temperature and air-tightness inside the station are kept up. On-board systems are OK and ready for controlled plunge into the preset area of the Pacific, RIA Novosti reports. It is expected that the descent programme will be activated when Mir slides down to 220 kilometres in free fall in the upper atmosphere, said the Mission Control Center.