of operation. Both RMCC control rooms in Moscow were used for the massive media presence during the final stages of operation. Real-time reports from RMCC were provided via teleconference during each deorbit burn to ESA spokespersons and representatives from national agencies. Video transmissions from RMCC were also made available to ESOC. Two out of three Progress M1-5 propulsion firings, at approximately 90 minute intervals, were used to bring the perigee of Mir down to an altitude of above the Earth's surface. A tough contact with the atmosphere occurred at altitude, when some of the external light elements of Mir were torn off due to the rush through the rarefied air. At an altitude of sufficient heating from Mir hull created a glowing halo of hot plasma. At about that time, the orbital complex broke apart and several of Mirs elements, surrounded by the plasma, were visible from Fiji against the evening sky. Television pictures were transmitted around the world within a few minutes of the event. The entire process lasted from about 16:20 to 20:29 local solar time. A short press conference was held in RMCC to cover the final stage of deorbit. An official statement announced that Mir "ceased to exist" at 05:59:24 GMT. The final tracking of Mir was conducted by a United States Army site on Kwajalein Atoll. The European Space Agency, German Federal Ministry of Defence and NASA also assisted with tracking Mir during its final orbit and reentry. Debris At the time, Mir was the largest spacecraft ever to reenter the Earth's atmosphere, and there were concerns that sizeable pieces of debris, particularly from the docking assemblies, gyrodynes and external structure, could survive reentry. Amid debris fall, New Zealand issued international warnings to ships and aircraft traveling in the South Pacific area. Deputy director of New Zealand's Maritime Safety Authority, Tony Martin, said that the chances of debris hitting ships would be very small. A similar situation occurred in Japan, whose residents were warned to stay indoors during the forty-minute period when debris was most likely to fall. The local officials admitted that the chances of an accident were very low. The location of Mir'' announced after re-entry was in the South Pacific Ocean. The debris spread about ± along track and ± laterally, reduced from the earlier estimate due to the steeper re-entry angle. References External links Animated coverage of deorbit 2001 in spaceflight