Mir

Mir is a space station that was operated in low Earth orbit by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. Mir was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996. It held the record for the largest artificial satellite in orbit until it was surpassed by the International Space Station (ISS) in 2001. Mir served as a microgravity research laboratory in which scientific research was conducted in numerous fields, including biology, human biology, physics, astronomy, and meteorology.

History

The decision to construct the Mir space station was made on 17 February 1976 by the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Council of Ministers of the USSR. The station was intended to be an improved model of the Salyut space stations. The first module of Mir, known as the core module or base block, was launched on 20 February 1986.

Design

Mir was the first modular space station. It was constructed from a series of modules connected by nodes, with a core module providing the main living quarters and control station, and additional modules for scientific research. Mir's design was based on a combination of the Salyut stations and the Apollo lunar module.

Legacy

Mir was deorbited in March 2001 due to lack of funding and interest. However, its legacy continues in the form of the International Space Station (ISS), which took over its role as the primary space-based laboratory for the international scientific community.

See also

• Space exploration
• History of space exploration
• List of space stations