Russia toys with Mir 2 plan

The Russian government is considering building a new Mir space station.

A senior cabinet official even claims Russia is using the new International Space Station as a technical base for building Mir 2.

But Deputy Prime Minister Ilya Klebanov says the US-led international project will remain Russia's top priority.

The comments by Mr Klebanov seem to be aimed mostly at soothing the hurt pride of his fellow Russians, according to the country's Interfax news agency.

Russian Aerospace Agency chief Yuri Koptev says the core module of a new Mir alone would cost at least the equivalent of £280 million.

Russia abandoned Mir because it was falling apart and was too expensive to maintain.