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Mir Crashes Into Pacific Ocean Voice of America, March 23, 2001 Russia's Mir space station disintegrated Friday, with its charred debris plunging into the Pacific Ocean. Russian space officials say the aging orbiter was fully destroyed upon re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Witnesses in Fiji say they saw burning fragments hurtling through the sky. Tons of charred debris slammed into a remote part of the South Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and Chile. Russian space officials said most of the remains of the stations crashed around 0800 Universal Time. Remnants were said to have hit the ocean at 200-300 meters per second in an area northwest of Chatham Island off the coast of New Zealand . New Zealand officials say fishing boats in the target zone were not damaged in the splashdown. Many smaller fragments burned up, as they glided through the Earth's atmosphere. Earlier, the aging orbiter lost touch with Mir Mission Control, sending its final signal to Russian space officials. Russian ground controllers fired three rocket bursts to slow down the station to allow it to descend along a pre-determined path -- well out of the way of populated areas. It was the final voyage for Mir, which traveled more than four billion kilometers during its 15-year odyssey in space.
© 2001 TruthNews. All Rights Reserved. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
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