Russian probe engines crap out on way to Mars
Russia's fourth attempt to reach Mars has run into trouble and is now stuck in orbit around Earth. Phobos-Grunt, which launched successfully last night, managed to make it into orbit, but has failed to fire its engines to get it started on its journey to Mars. The craft – Фобос-Грунт, or Phobos-Grunt ("grunt" means "soil" in …
This topic is closed for new posts.
'Space Engineers'
Surely that should be Rocket Scientists - it's not that difficult.
Rev. Andy
Oh dear
Looks like this probe didn't have enough grunt to break free of orbit.
Any Fule Kno
Ask as "space engineer" and they'll tell you that that there is no such thing as a "rocket scientist." It's a layman's term for mass media use.
Unless you're studying actual rocket engines... In which case, you *are* a rockect scientist.
Studying rocket engines - hmm, thermodynamics and Mechanical Engineering - maybe some fluid dynamics as well. Still engineering disciplines...
Only once they get to the practical stage.
Before that, they're theoretical, and belong to the scientists.
(being actually *related* to one, I've heard no end of it about the difference between science and engineering)
Come on...
the odds are slim getting the craft there to begin with, but the chances of anything coming from Mars are a million-to-one.
The chances are milllion-to-one, but still they come
You never know, Wayne and Wells may get the last laugh on that one.
That Mars jinx
...is really potent? Haven't Russia never managed to successfully get a probe there, at like 16 attempts?
Getting a bit unsubtle for those Martians to keep disabling stuff remotely (and presumably skirting the Spirit and Opportunity rovers as they trundle past)
The decade-old mars curse seems to go on...
<joke>
It almost looks like somebody don't want humans to peek around the red planet...
</joke>
As it's full of fuel, if this thing collides with a satellite will we get rings like Saturn?
What do you mean Vadimir?
Did I put the fuel in?
That was your job.
Memories of the UK Beagle project come to mind
It must be both frustrating and disappointing to have this happen, just as with Beagle, conceived by a group of British academics headed by Professor Colin Pillinger of the Open University.
Let's hope this type of rocket failure doesn't happen on a Space Station trip - everyone is depending on them.
At least the Beagle had a decent name, Beagle 2 was named after HMS Beagle, which twice carried Charles Darwin during expeditions - that was when Britain had a real Navy.
No, but I remember hearing that beagle was futzy and underfunded from the get-go. With half-arsed fixes right to last minute and everything.
Was it also Beagle that relied on an air-bag landing system that was clasified by the USA, so they weren't allowed to know anything about how it operates, how to work with it, etc.?
3 Days to patch the damn program
some techies are seeing real action these days...
Good luck guys! I'd love a Russian spacecraft on Phobos!
I'll drink to that obviously....
I'm just glad I'm not the computer programmer on that project.
Yeah, was thinking Phobos Grunts were the green chaps that got mown down early on.
How much of the 5 Grubles is R&D?
I'd be interested to know how much of the budget for this sort of space mission is R&D, and how much is for building and launching the thing. In other words, if it fails because of a build problem, how much would it cost to build and launch another one (which might involve waiting for another suitable alignment of the planets a year or so later)?
(Gruble = gigaruble, obviously, even though it sounds like a small copper coin used by mediaeval serfs.)
grubles = стратобаксы
sbucks = stratobucks. hello bros in rnd.
grubles = стратобаксы
sbucks = stratobucks. hello bros in rnd.
And the USA is suppose to depend on Russia to get Americans into space?
The perfect is the enemy of the good
Well, being stuck in orbit for a few days is better than exploding.
Quick Learners/SMART Mentors/Outstanding Great Game Players
Oh, don't you just love that Sino-Soviet sense of fabulous theatre to draw attention to what they can do and highlighting the opportunities which abound in the magical east for alien space programs.
Say hello to Russians when they come there...
on mars.
I home you speak Russian little better than english.
3 days to patch....
..thank god it not Apple (or Oracle)
Funny how that asteroid happened past at the same time, do you think someone is telling us something?
Hmmmmmm
So, it "Fails" on the same evening that an "asteroid" passes by at close range...
It is the start of the invasion!
- The one with the Origami Tinfoil hat plans in the pocket...
Small point
7 tons of hydrazine on that thing.
USA 193 had about 1/2 a ton
"Captain of the USS Lake Erie to the courtesy phone......"
Russian Mars Missions
Fourth attempt? Mars-1 to Mars-7, Fobos-1 and 2, Mars-96 and quite a few others that were stranded in parking orbit and given some "Kosmos" or "Sputnik" designation. A few others, like the two M-69 orbiters, never made it to orbit.
Mars-5 was essentially successful, it went into orbit in 1973 and carried out all its mission tasks (photography and numerous spectroscopic and space-plasma and cosmic-ray experiments). Fobos-2 entered orbit and performed some of its tasks, but failed before it could rendezvous with Phobos.
Let's not forget that Russia's Soyuz/Fregat technology sent Mars Express to its destination. Mars Express consists of a communications satellite refitted with the backup copies of Mars-96's experiments. So there is considerable Russian involvement of the "pay no attention to that man behind the curtain" style.
Fobos-Grunt failed to achieve three-axis orientation lock on the Sun and a bright star. Those sensors are redundant, so this may be a software glitch. It will be in range of special telemetry and telecommand stations in Baikonur Wednesday night, and they may be able to get a full set of housekeeping telemetry then. There is a small chance the mission can be resumed, if this is just a fixable software state.
Latest tracking/telemetry give them approx. 2 weeks before the mission is lost, so with any luck the problem can be identified, corrected & hopefully tested before orbit correction burn.
to grunt away = просрать
just love the sputnik's name. with all experience of the russian space industry in translating english, don't the english-speaking audience see anything exceptively strange in it? either it has absolutely no connection with mars, or - the russians have a "просрать" idiom = lit. "to shit/grunt smth. away". why the hell do russians/chinese need phobos exactly now? just ask yourself yourself.
I have a set of jumper leads if they need to borrow them for a bit.
so there's still a chance?
crossed fingers in hopes they can jump start the probe.
Perhaps if they get it rolling they can just pop the clutch? :)
It was hijacked by the small moon passing by the other night. The Martians are saying 'no more' to our Mars exploring shennanigans.
No-one noticed a sudden red beam from YU55 during launch, then?
Grunt = Dirt?
I swear, those darn foreigners have a different word for EVERYTHING!!!
well unlike old and spent satellites this one is loaded with toxic fuel.. I wonder how they can control its eventual descent since they can only receive comms one way (it they just get telemetry info and not sent commands)..if there's a chance that it will impact a city or something can they shoot it down once it reaches the atmosphere? maybe call up the good US of A and offer a target practice for the airborne laser perhaps?
This topic is closed for new posts.
