As we build one space station, another is set to return to Earth. Mir will “deorbit,” a euphemism for a controlled reentry, around the middle of March. On February 20, 2001, Mir had a 15th anniversary celebrating the launch of the core module in 1986 from the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, at times it has had a troubled life: collisions with docking supply ships, computer shutdowns and power losses, and even an onboard fire in 1997. But with visits by the shuttles and American astronauts beginning in 1995, Mir marks the initiation of a truly long-term, international presence in space. After fifteen years, it will soon reenter, and for the most part break-up in the Earth’s atmosphere. Splashdown of what’s left of the 140-ton craft will be in the Pacific Ocean halfway between New Zealand and Chile, near 47 degrees south latitude and 140 degrees west longitude.
Mir is a delight to see passing through the twilight sky. I have no idea how many times I’ve seen it, but some old photos show that I’ve captured it on film a number of times. It’s easy: basically you just mount the camera on a steady tripod pointed in the right direction, use fast film and a normal lens wide-open. A ten-second exposure will record bright twilit stars as points with Mir streaking through them. Such a sequence is shown at right. These were all taken in May 1997 when Atlantis had joined Mir on the 6-th docking mission.
But with the splashdown approaching, you’ll have to act fast. In late-February, Mir is making a series of evening passes, and these may represent the last good opportunities to see it. On the other hand, the ISS is in a similar, high inclination orbit in addition to being much larger in size and hence brighter in the sky. Keep an eye out for its passes too.
The world that launched Mir isn’t nearly the same one to which it will return. Those fifteen years represent awesome leaps in technology, whole new countries fragmented from old nations, and less threatening attitudes towards our planet and one another. Launched by the Soviet Union, Mir will end its life under a financially troubled lease to the Netherlands-based, space-tourism firm MirCorp. And here on Earth, fifteen-year is at least a generation or two of young star gazers.
Amateur astronomy in Delaware is not the same as fifteen years ago either. In March 1993, the Delmarva Star Gazers held their first meeting at the First Presbyterian Church in Smyrna. Since then there have been monthly membership meetings and dark-sky observing sessions, a dozen or more regional star parties, school-group outings with innumerable next-generation star gazers, and a whole lot of sharing information, swapping stories and forming new friendships. As the club approaches a big tenth birthday in a couple of years, we’ll be putting this all down in one form or another in a history or “timeline” of the Delmarva Star Gazers. Long-time club member Doug Norton has volunteered to lead this effort. I hope everyone will join-in and lend him old pictures, recollections and stories needed to document the club’s efforts and growth. We all have every reason to be very proud of what we’ve accomplished.
Moondark is written by Doug Miller, published on the web , and printed in the Delmarva Star Gazers'Star Gazer News and the Delaware Astronomical Society's FOCUS. Please address comments and suggestions to dcmiller@dmv.com. This document was last revised on 25 February 2001. All text and images copyright © 2001 Douglas C. Miller, All Rights Reserved. This material may not be reproduced in any form without prior permission.
