Mir

/mɪr/ noun

Definition

A Russian space station that orbited Earth from 1986 to 2001, famous for being humanity's first continuously inhabited space laboratory.

Etymology

Russian word meaning 'world' or 'peace.' Named symbolically to represent international cooperation in space, the station represented the Soviet Union's peaceful intentions during the Cold War.

Kelly Says

Mir was so advanced for its time that it stayed in space for 15 years—longer than any space station before it—and astronauts from different countries lived together on it even while their nations were technically enemies, proving space could unite humanity.

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