MONEY AND THE MIR….

Money problems seem likely to bring the Mir space station back to earth. It costs $250 million a year to keep the station aloft, and the government has better uses for the money. The private “MirCorp” that leases the space station has tried and so far failed to raise the cash. Unless the situation changes, according to Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov, the Mir will destroy itself in the earth’s atmosphere in February 2001. The last crew left the station in June.