Russian space officials have postponed the deorbiting of the Mir space station by 24 hours to Friday. The decision to delay the reentry was caused by lower than expected descent rate of the station in the upper atmosphere. Today, team members are investigating the reappearance of the coating, which is similar to the frost on a car windshield. The contract solidifies Orbital as a major supplier in the world market for GEO communications satellites. It turned out to be a false alarm, but it shut down ventilation systems, computers dropped off line and the station's new crew was unable to find the documentation needed to reactive critical systems.
More news See our weekly archive of space news.
Spaceflight Now , just send us an e-mail . Visit the Tracking Station for a full listing of upcoming launches. Hubble poster The Hubble Space Telescope's majestic view of the Eskimo Nebula. This spectacular poster is available now from the Astronomy Now Store. MORE Celebrate Columbia Celebrate the 20th anniversary of space shuttle Columbia's historic maiden flight with embroidered patches from the Astronomy Now Store.