# Mir Descent Visible from North America (10 p.m. PST Thursday)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 22, 2001, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mir-descent-visible-from-north-america-10-p-m-pst-thursday/59048 "2001-03-22T20:55:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mooney252](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7c8e57/32.png) [@Mooney252](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mooney252)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2001, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mir-descent-visible-from-north-america-10-p-m-pst-thursday/59048/1 "2001-03-22T20:55:12Z")
It now appears that the Russian space station will descend into the atmosphere about 10 p.m. PST on Thursday. Current guesses are that it will splash down 2,000 miles S of Fiji, as this website indicates: [http://www3.mirreentry.com/location.html](http://www3.mirreentry.com/location.html) Is there any possibility that any of it will be visible in North America? ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [March 22, 2001, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mir-descent-visible-from-north-america-10-p-m-pst-thursday/59048/2 "2001-03-22T21:10:39Z")
Considering that Mir is in low earth orbit, less than 200 miles, and will be going down in the Southern hemisphere, the answer is unfortunately no. ---
**Author:** ![Strainger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strainger/32/244_2.png) [@Strainger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strainger)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2001, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mir-descent-visible-from-north-america-10-p-m-pst-thursday/59048/3 "2001-03-23T04:36:39Z")
But **Padeye** , what if I climb Camelback and stand on my tippy-toes? ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2001, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mir-descent-visible-from-north-america-10-p-m-pst-thursday/59048/4 "2001-03-23T06:21:37Z")
Sorry strainger, not even if you go south and stand on Mt. Lemmon or Kitt Peak. ---
**Author:** ![Stephen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@Stephen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephen)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2001, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mir-descent-visible-from-north-america-10-p-m-pst-thursday/59048/5 "2001-03-23T07:24:47Z")
According to the ground track display of my program Satellite Hunting, during the four orbits leading up to to the ‘death burn’… the only Eastern hemisphere land crossings were over the southern tip of South America. ---
**Author:** ![Stephen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@Stephen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stephen)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2001, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mir-descent-visible-from-north-america-10-p-m-pst-thursday/59048/6 "2001-03-23T08:35:30Z")
Ooops! Did I say Eastern hemisphere? I meant Western. Mir transited North Africa, the Middle East and Asia on its last legs in the Eastern Hemi. Blame it on George Killian… ---
**Author:** ![Olentzero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/90ced4/32.png) [@Olentzero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Olentzero)\ **Post date:** [March 23, 2001, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mir-descent-visible-from-north-america-10-p-m-pst-thursday/59048/7 "2001-03-23T15:59:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Stephen \* > \*\*Blame it on George Killian… \*\* I always told the stupid SOB he was a lousy driver. Now look what he’s done.