Phobos-Grunt and Upper Stage A model of the Phobos-Grunt probe with its upper state MKonair on Flickr A day after the successful launch of the Phobos-Grunt probe from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, Russian mission handlers are already scrambling to save their spacecraft from the fate that has befallen so many Russian Mars missions. Phobos-Grunt found orbit yesterday but then failed to fire the engines that would put it on a path for the Martian moon Phobos. The probe is now stuck in Earth orbit, and engineers have three days to fix the problem before the batteries run out.
Problems for the multi-year mission arose almost immediately after the spacecraft was dropped into elliptical orbit eleven minutes after launching. The orientation system was supposed to use the stars to turn itself toward Phobos, then initiate two firings of the huge cruise stage attached to the spacecraft that would first lift it from orbit and then set it on a path toward Phobos.
None of this happened.
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Kremlin's Favorite Innovator Pushes Dubious Science, Russian Researchers SayTagsTechnology, Clay Dillow, Mars, phobos, phobos-grunt, roscosmos, russian space agency, Space, space scienceHowever, all is not yet lost. “I would not say it’s a failure,” Roscosmos chief Vladimir Popovkin told the media. “It’s a non-standard situation, but it is a working situation.”
Engineers are now racing against the clock the get Phobos-Grunt back online. If it’s a software glitch causing the problem, new commands can be uploaded and it’s likely the mission could be saved. But if it’s a hardware problem, the entire mission might be doomed before it gets out of Earth orbit.
Phobos-Grunt isn’t just Russia’s most ambitious space project in years, but the largest interplanetary science mission ever devised (after Cassini-Huygens) at more than 14 tons. The spacecraft is also carrying Yinghuo-1, China’s first Mars satellite. If lost, Phobos-Grunt would be something like the 16th Mars-related mission sent by Russia to the Red Planet since the ‘60s. None of the previous have completed their mission objectives.
[BBC]
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scientific anomaly 11/09/11 at 10:58 am told you so
-Knock knock
-Who's there?
-The Doctor.
-Doctor Who?
-Yes
And these are the guys we're relying on to get our astronauts and equipment to space? Give me a break!
Link to this comment pheonix1012 11/09/11 at 11:17 amDamn! Now we'll never get those microbes onto Phobos. Roscosmos has really gotta step it's game up. We're relying on them to send astronauts into LEO. If they got software and hardware issues this will spell disaster for future manned flights.
Link to this comment shutterpod 11/09/11 at 11:26 amLets hope they get it working...
Link to this comment Delkomatic 11/09/11 at 11:34 amhaha
Only thing good about Russia is the women
I don't care how many unmanned vehicles they bust up. The one thing I don't want to wake up to is the news of several people dying on another launch or re-entry attempt.
Spaceflight advocacy is already at an all time low. The death of a few more astronauts will be just enough to kill support of human spaceflight all together.
Roscosmos needs to get their s### right if we're going to trust them with the lives of scientists, engineers, and technicians bound for space (this includes their own countrymen).
Link to this comment pheonix1012 11/09/11 at 11:37 am@Delkomatic
I've heard Ukraine is where it's at.
Link to this comment pioneer10 11/09/11 at 11:39 amThere was a time I was only too happy to hear of yet another Russian Mars Mission failure. Mars96 was the first time I instead felt sympathy. Now, I feel as anxious as any of them to hear word that the mission, or any part of it can continue successfully. C'mon comrades, you can do it!
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JediMindset 11/09/11 at 12:19 pm lol im sorry i just had to laugh.
@Delkomatic, pheonix1012
yep you gotta love east European women!!
_________________
The people of the world only divide into two kinds, One sort with brains who hold no religion, The other with religion and no brain.
- Abu-al-Ala al-Marri
Link to this comment pheonix1012 11/09/11 at 12:32 pm@JediMindset
Actually, I'm more into middle-eastern and latin women. Thing of beauty.
Link to this comment
Grunt 11/09/11 at 1:07 pm I like to see the next USA probe that lands on Mars or even orbit Mars to possess a high power laser. Each time Russia shots off another probe to Mars, we power up the old laser and zap into crash landing. They are so used to messing up their probes; they never suspect it was us, lol.
Ooops, I have said to much.
Go suck your Bawls JediMindSh'I't
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Aldrons Last Hope 11/09/11 at 2:33 pm @Grunt, you probably just revealed the plan for space dominance D'oh!!
I was worried that it would get lost on the way to Mars, kind of a non-issue now :-/
Link to this comment aarontco 11/09/11 at 3:09 pmFor the sake of science, I hope they grunt this little guy out of earth orbit and onto phobos. I have been envious for some time about the prospect of the Russians being the first nation to return materials from a martian moon. It should have been NASA, but our program can't do everything, and often has its priorities completely mixed up.
A phobos landing is another step toward becoming an interplanetary species, so let's hope they get lucky and succeed.
Link to this comment
gizmowiz 11/09/11 at 5:45 pm It's a shame mankind waste money on space when were not involved enough yet to dare show our faces to other civilizations anywhere. Mankind has a long way to go back here on planet earth which is where we need to focus our energies. NASA should be focusing on deep sea ventures instead.
Link to this comment JediMindset 11/09/11 at 6:50 pm @pheonix1012
yep also Asian and African. come to think about it, i love them all!!
@rg-5
why do you say such mean things?
_________________
The people of the world only divide into two kinds, One sort with brains who hold no religion, The other with religion and no brain.
- Abu-al-Ala al-Marri
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Robot 11/09/11 at 7:03 pm Probes are wonderful. ;)
Link to this comment prime2011 11/09/11 at 9:36 pmEventually we will develop AI to be able to resolve much of these issues by itself, saving us poor humans the headache of going through reams of code trying to figure out where the glitch is. A AI could intercept a issue and attempt to make adjustments on the fly to correct issues, even re-programming aspects of itself.
The AI I am talking about is proper AI, like perhaps that on 2001 space odyssey but without the talking and irrational behaviour :)
Link to this comment Raynre 11/09/11 at 10:54 pmIsn't this something like the third failed Russian launch in as many months?
And we rely on them to get our astronauts into orbit. So comforting...
Link to this comment lyls14 11/10/11 at 12:04 amCrazy.Stupid.Love.720p.BluRay.x264-REFiNED
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