Live Pictures From Mir Splashdown Mission Control - …BREAKING NEWS….WE HAVE JUST HEARD THE FIRST DEBRIS HAS HIT THE SEA…. – Macedonia – Monteith’s Closure

LIVE PICTURES FROM MIR SPLASHDOWN MISSION CONTROL: Mere moments to go a Space Station’s final plunge began. MIR is on it’s way down. It has been slowed down three times today with rockets. It began re-entry nine minutes ago. It weighs 135 tonnes but only 20 tonnes of debris are expected to hit the ground.

Live Cross To Fiji Met Office Via Telephone: “We have seen three very bright spots of light today. They disappeared in about 40 seconds. We only had a glimpse of the spectacle.” Q: Could you hear anything. A: No.

Bob McNeil Reports - Here in NZ people have been looking at the sky for days. At Auckland observatory a group of watchers are preparing for the end of the space station. Last night some people watched it pass over Auckland (view from space, view from earth).

In Russia protestors have been marking splashdown asking for more investment in the Russian space programme.

Only one person has ever been hit by falling space junk.

The space station itself has been a bit accident prone. It has had a fire and has been eaten by microbes.

The NZ ambassador in Russia is impressed with the cooperation from Russian mission control.

Last night there were concerns that MIR was rolling too much on its final approach. However concerns were allayed by Russian assurances.

An enthusiast in Auckland says it is like saying good-bye to your first ever and best vehicle. He says the Russian’s are great at space stations.

…BREAKING NEWS….WE HAVE JUST HEARD THE FIRST DEBRIS HAS HIT THE SEA….

MACEDONIA: Footage from an army roadblock in Macedonia shows an attempted grenade attack on Macedonian troops. Two men are stopped in a car. One tries to throw a grenade. Both men are shot.

MONTEITH’S: DB is facing a beer boycott over its decision to close the Monteith’s brewery in Greymouth. A worker at the plant says DB won’t be able to make the beer right in Auckland. In Wellington a group of former Monteith’s drinkers have started a boycott, they include photographer Peter Bush and PR executive Gerry Morris. A DB manager says the branding strategy for the beer will be continued. Green MP Rod Donald is pointing to Singapore based owners and says they probably don’t even know where Greymouth is.

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Alastair Thompson

Scoop Publisher

Alastair Thompson is the co-founder of Scoop. He is of Scottish and Irish extraction and from Wellington, New Zealand. Alastair has 24 years experience in the media, at the Dominion, National Business Review, North & South magazine, Straight Furrow newspaper and online since 1997. He is the winner of several journalism awards for business and investigative work.

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