FIJI: GROUP OF FORMER COSMONAUTS RETURN FROM FLIGHT TO WATCH REMNANTS OF RUSSIA'S MIR SPACE STATION PLUNGE INTO EARTH

Record ID: 647605

  • Title: FIJI: GROUP OF FORMER COSMONAUTS RETURN FROM FLIGHT TO WATCH REMNANTS OF RUSSIA'S MIR SPACE STATION PLUNGE INTO EARTH
  • Date: 23rd March 2001
  • Summary: NADI, FIJI (MARCH 23, 2001) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) (NIGHT SHOTS) 1. WS: AIRPORT TARMAC 0.05 2. MV: PLANE TAXIING 0.10 3. MV: RUSSIAN DELEGATION DISEMBARKING PLANE 0.14 4. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) RUSSIAN DELEGATION MEMBER YURI KARASH SAYING: "We managed to see anything (nothing) great -- I'm just not sure what we managed to see. But I believe there is a pretty good chance that we saw the space station going throught the dense layers of atmosphere." 0.30 5. SV: FORMER COSMONAUT YELENA KANDAKOVA WALKING NEAR PLANE 0.34 6. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) KANDAKOVA SAYING: "We saw only the small point, bright point, we didn't see the five parts." 0.43 7. SV/SCU: (SOUNDBITE)(English) FORMER COSMONAUT AND MIR SPACE STATION VETERAN VLADIMIR TITOV SAYING: "I am sad ... but I am happy the station landed in the planning place, not on the ground, means our designers made this final project for the station true [successful]." (2 SHOTS) (SOUND INTERFERENCE) 1.16 8. SV: COSMONAUTS STANDING IN AIRPORT 1.22 9. LV/SV: PLANE ON TARMAC/ U.S. DELEGATION DISEMBARKS (2 SHOTS) 1.32 10. SCU: (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOSH, U.S. STUDENT SAYING: "We saw it come down, in one particle, and go in a blob, and then it blew up into four different particles, and we have this all on tape, and then it came down and went into one long strip and started blowing up into pieces. / (reporter's question) / (SOUNDBITE)(English) SECOND U.S. STUDENT SAYING: "It was more like a bright star than a huge thing in the sky, like at first no-one really recognised it, but then Colin over here - he saw it and pointed it out to us." 1.58 11. SV: BOYS LAUGHING 2.01 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 7th April 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: NADI, FIJI
  • Country: Fiji
  • Reuters ID: LVA13ET0ZRHUM487AQI0D827207Y
  • Story Text: A group of former cosmonauts have returned from a
    flight to watch the remnants of Russia's Mir space station
    plunge into the Pacific Ocean.

    But they didn't get quite the close look at Mir's final
    flight that they had hoped for.


    The fiery remains of Russian space icon Mir roared over
    the South Pacific nation of Fiji on Friday (March 23),
    treating viewers to a spectacular show as the superheated
    fragments streaked across the sky to a watery grave.

    But a group of Russian former cosmonauts seemed
    disappointed with what they managed to see.

    "We saw only the small point, bright point, we didn't see
    the five parts," Elena Kandakova, a former cosmonaut said
    after witnessing the demise of Mir.

    Kandakova joined three fellow cosmonauts in a team of 50
    explorers who flew out over the Pacific Ocean as the space
    station re-entered the earth's atmosphere to watch its descent
    into the ocean.

    "I am sad ... but I am happy the station landed in the
    planning place, not on the ground, means our designers made
    this final project for the station true [successful],"
    Vladimir Titov, former cosmonaut and one of Mir's veterans
    said .

    A group of American teenage students seemed to be much
    more lucky.

    "We saw it come down, in one particle, and go in a blob,
    and then it blew up into four different particles, and we have
    this all on tape, and then it came down and went into one
    long strip and started blowing up into pieces," Josh, one of
    the group of students said.


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