Mir crash causes concern in Asia and serenity in Australia
He is irreversible now — the crash of the legendaries 15 year old room station me, she was positioned today from the Russian air conditioning so that the solar sails are now aligned with the sun, so that enough battery stream can be collected for the control of the brake manobin. The space station, which has housed a total of 106 cosmonauts and astronauts since 1986 and which is currently on a flying-height that makes a juxtapy in the old orbit from now on Friday against 07.00 clock (CET) for the Sud-Pacific. And this time there was no doubt that it will be seriously serious for me.
The heavenly beauty of this 130-tonne dragonfly in the dark of Jesco of Puttkamer. An obituary to me, who actually had already disappeared in 1999.
Shortly before the crash of me, all the way prevails uncertainty when and where the remaining hot trummer of the space station are sturzed to the earth, which impacted with such a force that they could hit themselves two meters thick concrete. According to the Control Center in Moscow, the last flight route to me about Siberia, the Korean peninsula and Japan, have set up many countries in Asia and in the sudpacific crisis and operational troops and also pronounced warnings at ship and air traffic.
Until Thursday afternoon, uncertainty prevailed whether the non-glued parts of the space station actually about 2.000 kilometers from Australia sinked in the sudpazific sinking, as the Russian soil control had begotten. In fact, the American and South Korean Air Force form a Task Force in case MIR SUMMER should hit Sudkorea. In the worst case, the civilian headquarters should be alerted for defense ies as well as all armed power, striking it from the behavior on Thursday.
According to a spokeswoman of the aircraft, the me was a few hours ago "so positioned that your batteries fuel yourself, and that’s the most important thing right now." There are crashes to crash several steps, but all course according to plan. Similarly confident, the Deputy Air Leader Viktor Blagov shows, for now, there is no signs that the "Me" could differ from their intelligence. He wanted to worry about it, parts of the 130 tonnes of heavy station could fall on inhabited areas.
Rough worry in Asia
Nevertheless, for the unlikely case of the case, the preparations are in full swing — especially in Asia. For although in the opinion of experts for humans has little risk and the planned crash corridor on the South Pacific are a few shipping and airlines, provided airlines in Australia, New Zealand and the Fiji Islands shifts of their transpacifik flights in the night of Thursday On Friday. Air New Zealand shared with two flights to Tahiti and the Cook Islands were a minute’s late. Also a flight from Sydney to Los Angeles could be affected. The Australian Society of Quanta planned for a flight to Buenos Aires a longest stay in New Zealand.
In New Zealand, the authorities have set themselves on three possible scenarios: in the first case — with 97 percent probability — the trummer goes down in the target area. Case two calculates with a partial failure of the brake manobever, so that that could be crazy for a few days later the earth. In the worst case, if the station will not be slowed down, a crash would be between the 52 after seven to ten days. Latitude in the north and the 52. Latitude in the suds possible.
In Japan, the regions, which the space station is expected to fly, be informed and asked for special vigilance. Here was the controlled crash of the space station for days one of the main topics in the news broadcasts. Experts were sent to Russia, the Kustenwache warned the shipping traffic, and in the city below the Mir trajectory, the resistant alerts were offset. Defense Minister Toshitsugu Saito even said a meeting with his American colleague Donald Rumsfeld. According to plan, I should cross Japan within a maximum of a minute in a high of 150 kilometers.
By contrast, the upcoming crash of the Australians can be largely cold. Neither in TV news nor in the newspapers plays a significant role. According to the state-of-state authority for catastrophic management (EMA), the non-glossing breakpoints should be reflected in a safe distance to the Australian Eastern Custe and not even visible. Rather, the chairman of the Australian Crisis Staff, David Templeman, was confident that everything will expire to plan. A spokesman for the national airline Qantas called a flight that would have to be relocated. New Zealandic Hears Languages of Funf Fire through the possible crash area that were postponed by about one hour.
Process precisely quoted
According to the control center in the Russian coroloy, the final phase of the crash should be initiated in the night of Friday. The "PROGRESS" engines should be during two consecutive earth circulation between 01.30 o’clock and 03.00 clock mez to be seeded. With the round of three engines, the airline wants to initiate the crash on Friday. At 01.33 o’clock (mez) should the station be braked for the first time and then again at 03.00 clock (mez) and 06.00. If everything runs smooth, the station whose lifetime was initially calculated only for five years against 07.00 clock in the atmosphere. Those parts with a scattered total mass of 25 tons, which survive the friction heat, should be between 07.8 pm and 07.30 o’clock (CET) about 3600 kilometers of the sudspitze New Zealand in the Pacific. The calculated crash corridor points to Chile and is 200 kilometers wide and 6000 kilometers long.
Currently, the I have fallen on an approximately high of 215 kilometers on the earth; After Adam Giant, she will seem a highly likely in a high of 110 to 100 kilometers in a few hours.
Meanwhile, a 48-person gross group of American and Russian cosmonauts, scientists, camera and space fans already made their way to the Fiji islands, from where the spectacle of smelling the "Me" can be observed and filmed from the next close. The group has provided two planes to track the falling room station to track.
Also close to the events were 27 fishing boats from the American Samoa Islands, which are in the crash area on Tunfischfang. According to the New Zealandic authorities, the Capitans of the ships were made aware of the potential dangers, but at high seas nobody will be forced to avoid a particular area, striking it in Wellington. The decision lies with the capita, but they have been held several times urgent to the dangers. The Director-General of one of the fishing companies concerned said it had been a hard year for fishermen and the legislation in the region around the possible crash site are currently very good. He had the fishermen themselves decide whether they wanted to stay or not. Now they had the best view of the world on the crash of me.
After a last control of the course of me in the morning, the technicians only want to intervene in the flight in the coming night with the decisive brake trails again, said Chef Air Leader Vladimir Solowjow. "The station is fully controllable, at your technical condition is nothing to be suspended", he explained. Experts expect that the controlled crash of the 137 tonnes heavy station will easily succeed. The exact target area about the sea will be determined only a few hours before the crash. Meanwhile, the Spatial Authority Roskosmos received a liability policy over 200 million US dollars (435 million DM). This will be able to compensate for possible damage to the crash. For the insurance, born by three Russian companies, Rosawiakosmos paid $ 1.2 million, reported the agency ITAR-TASS.