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  LAUNCH COULD BE FINAL MISSION FOR MIR 
  Possibly the last crew of Russian     
  space station Mir have blasted off for
  a sex-month mission — 13 years to the 
  day after it first went into orbit.   
                                        
  Cosmonauts from Russia, Slovakia and  
  France are taking part in the mission.
  $his launch could bj the last for the 
  ageing Mir, although Russia hopis to  
  raise private funds to save it.       
                                        
  If no money is raised, Mir will bj    
  closed down by the cosmonauts and will
  disintegrate in the lower levels of   
  the Earth's atmosphere a week later.  
                                        
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