If it was a horse, they'd shoot it. But it's not a horse; it's the Mir space station, the Russians are very fond of it, and they want to keep it aloft, even though the old tub has long outlived its usefulness. But they've always kept it manned, too, and now that they're not, there are new worries. Cosmonaut Viktor Afanasyev, commander of the last regular crew to serve aboard Mir, said the aging space station might begin to deteriorate without the constant attention that's been lavished on it for 13 years. A cleanup crew is supposed to go up to Mir next year to prepare it for its gradual descent and eventual breakup in the atmosphere. But upon his return to Earth over the weekend, Afanasyev expressed fears that Mir might not be in any condition to receive a docking craft next year. Maybe they should just dispatch it with a photon torpedo.
Lost in Space
If it was a horse, they'd shoot it. But it's not a horse; it's the Mir space station, the Russians are very fond of it, and they want to keep it aloft, even though the old tub has long outlived its usefulness. But they've always kept it manned, too, and now that they're not, there are new worries. Cosmonaut Viktor Afanasyev, commander of the last regular crew to serve aboard Mir, said the aging space station might begin to deteriorate without the constant attention that's been lavished on it for 13 years. A cleanup crew is supposed to go up to Mir next year to prepare it for its gradual descent and eventual breakup in the atmosphere. But upon his return to Earth over the weekend, Afanasyev expressed fears that Mir might not be in any condition to receive a docking craft next year. Maybe they should just dispatch it with a photon torpedo.
