mir

Mir, in Russian Мир, meaning "peace" or "world," was a Soviet and later Russian space station in low Earth orbit. Operational from 1986 to 2001, it was the first modular space station to be assembled in orbit and, for a time, the largest artificial satellite in space. The design used a central base block with multiple modules attached to expand living quarters, laboratories, and docking capacity.

The station’s initial component was the Zarya Functional Cargo Block (FGB), launched in 1986 to provide propulsion and power. The life-support and living quarters were supplied by the Zvezda Service Module, a central element added in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Over the following years, several research and service modules were added, including Kvant-1 and Kvant-2 for science, and Kristall, Spektr, and Priroda, expanding capabilities in astronomy, materials science, and Earth observation. A series of docking and airlock compartments allowed visiting spacecraft to attach and transfer experiments.

Mir hosted long-duration crews and international visitors, most notably NASA astronauts as part of the Shuttle-Mir program, which helped foster cooperation that contributed to the later International Space Station. The station experienced several emergencies, including a significant onboard fire in 1997 and subsequent system failures, which were addressed by the crew and ground teams.

In March 2001 Mir was deorbited in a controlled re-entry, with debris landing in the South Pacific Ocean. Its legacy informed the design and operation of later space stations, particularly in long-duration habitation, modular assembly, and international collaboration.