20 February: Space Station Mir

On this date in 1986 Mir space station was launched without crew from Baikonur Space Centre, Kazakhstan.

1. Mir means “peace” in Russian.
2. The station took ten years to build - it was assembled in orbit from 1986 to 1996. Each module was launched separately and assembled in space.
3. Until 21 March 2001 it was the largest artificial satellite in orbit, succeeded by the International Space Station.
4. Mir weighed 130,000-140,000 kg/ 250 tons.
5. It holds the record for the longest single human spaceflight, by Valeri Polyakov who spent 437 days and 18 hours on the station between 1994 and 1995. Women's spaceflight records were set by Elena Kondakova (1995 - 169 days) and Shannon Lucid (1996 - 188 days).
6. 105 astronauts and cosmonauts stayed there during its 15 year life span. The first crew was Leonid Kizim and Vladimir Solovyov and the last was Mir commander Viktor Afansyev, flight engineer Sergei Avdeyev, and French researcher Jean-Pierre Haignere. The station could accommodate three resident crew and others on short visits.
7. The station had a supply of Cognac and vodka for special occasions.
8. The gravitational force aboard was 88% that of sea level on Earth, although the station was constantly in freefall, so it would feel like a weightless environment. The environment was often described as microgravity. Because of a slight drag from the gravity of Earth, the station had to be boosted to a higher altitude several times a year.
9. The time zone used on board was Moscow Time. The windows were covered during night hours to give the impression of darkness because the station experienced 16 sunrises and sunsets a day.
10. The station was designed to remain in orbit for around five years, but ended up remaining in orbit for fifteen. It crashed into the Pacific Ocean in March 2001.