MirCorp dumps Mir station

Chairboy writes "According to this press release, MirCorp (the company that was leasing space station Mir for commercial opportunities) is ending their involvement with Mir and concentrating on building a commercial lab module for the International Space Station. Looks like NASA's wish to get rid of legit competition in the station business has been answered.... This is unfortunate, Station Mir is a fully functional space station with more capabilities then the International Space Station at the moment. Because it's already there, lots of operations could have been done less expensively on Mir then the politically expedient ISS."

Comments

Mir + SSA = ?

[Xunker]

I don't know where I heard it from (maybe here?) but a while back there was some talk about integrating Mir with Space Station Alpha (formerly the International Space Station). This seemed to me like a Good Idea(tm) -- Mir is fully functional if decaying. If they conjoined the two they could eliminate a lot of Mir's weak points (poor computer system, terrible propultion) and it would help the SSA. It could provide suplimentary power, communications, storage and serve as an emergency escape vehicle should something happen to the SSA.

It's old, but valuable. YWe've got to remember that the Mir is one of only two working space stations currently in orbit, and the Mir has proved itself time and again.

Re:Mir + SSA = ?

[tesserae]

Even if desirable, it would be prohibitively expensive. The stations are in different orbital planes, and it's expensive (in terms of fuel) to change orbital planes. They're also at different altitudes, but that's much less of a problem.

For what it would take to change planes and do a rendezvous with Alpha, the Russians could reboost Mir to prevent its reentry many, many times over. And they're unwilling to do that even once more.

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Re:How About the Old Viking Sendoff?

[Royster]

I wonder if the MIR station can be reinforced to take small amounts of directed thrust? Could it's orbit be changed enough to break away from Earth?

Helm, reroute the Emergency power and life support to thrusters. We need to get the space station out of this planet's gravity well.

But, sir, there are hundereds of genetically mutated fungi onboard. We'd be spreading disease throughout the whole quadrant.

Doctor, what can you tell me about the lifeforms aboard that craft?

Dammit, I'm a doctor, Captain, not a mushroom farmer.

Och, Captain, she's breaking up. She canna take much more of this.

Screw it. Let it burn up on reentry.

How About the Old Viking Sendoff?

[human bean]

I wonder if the MIR station can be reinforced to take small amounts of directed thrust? Could it's orbit be changed enough to break away from Earth?

Strap some thrusters on it, some simple reinforcement, redirect most electrical to thrust, and send the sucker off. Skip life support. Guidance not strictly required. Maybe we fill it with cultural memorabilia first, just so the folks that find it will know what we taste like.

OTOH, maybe we could load the puppy up with biologics, frozen bacteria and algae ice cubes, and set Mir's course for the slow orbit to Mars, or Venus, or somewhere that life might stand a chance. Sure, it may take US another hundred years to get there, but it might be nice to have some kind of biosphere waiting.

Maybe we should load it with radioactive waste and drop it in a crater on the Moon.

I know, I know, I just hate to see waste...