Phobos-Grunt |
Phobos-Grunt |
Jan 22 2005, 02:15 PM
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Interplanetary Dumpster Diver Group: Admin Posts: 4404 Joined: 17-February 04 From: Powell, TN Member No.: 33 |
In Astronomy's February issue, they report that Russia has approved funding for the Phobos-Grunt mission. Design work has gone on since 1997, and the new design is scaled down to fly an a Soyuz rocket instead of the larger Proton. The main purpose is similar to Phobos-2, with the addition of a sample return. Also being discussed is the possibility of it carrying a few "meteorological stations" fof Mars itself. Generally, I have written this mission off as "never going to happen," but with the new Russian alliance with ESA, I wonder if they might be able to actually fly this thing. Also, with Putin's increasingly Soviet-style leadership, and with the likelyhood of lunar missions from China and India, Russian pride might drive this mission. If so, I have a concern. This mission sounds really, really ambitious. And the Russians have never even sent a fully successful Mars orbiter, and that is when they launched them in pairs or triplets. Still, if the mission flies, even if it doesn't bring back Phobos soil it might obtain some interesting results. Here is ESA's Phobos-Grunt page:
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ESA_Permanent_...IJFW4QWD_0.html Also, ESA has another page on potential Russian programs, although this seem to be nothing but pipe dreams at the moment. Would be a cool mission though. http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ESA_Permanent_...0LFW4QWD_0.html And also a page on the only partially realized current Russian project, its program to put instruments on other's spacecraft, such as HEND on Odyssey. http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/ESA_Permanent_...HMFW4QWD_0.html -------------------- |
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Guest_Zvezdichko_* |
Jan 22 2009, 11:05 PM
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Guests |
http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=244836&cid=10
Team reports they are on schedule and they are still going to launch this year. It's confirmed that Phobos-Grunt will carry microorganisms. |
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Jan 24 2009, 08:30 AM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1729 Joined: 3-August 06 From: 43° 35' 53" N 1° 26' 35" E Member No.: 1004 |
Interesting video. There are nice shots of the probe, its Fregat stage and of the YH-1 "cage". Note also that the video confirms that Zenith will be used as a launcher instead of Soyuz-Fregat. The two men interviewed are Lavochkin's Georgi Polischuk and IKI's Lev Zelenyi. The man playing with Phobos' model is not identified. |
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Jan 26 2009, 05:20 PM
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 4 Joined: 25-January 09 From: New York Member No.: 4583 |
This has to be one of the most daring missions in the history of deep space exploration. And all for what, half the price of the one season Phoenix? Maybe there is something to be said for faster better cheaper, that is if it works. Which it probably wont
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