Phobos-Grunt Options

[tedstryk]

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

[RNeuhaus]

I think that previously Russian has failed many missions due mainly to political factors rather than technical reasons. The Soviet's leaders had made a lot of pressure and unrealistic judgment on engineers and scientists to do anything almost impossible, hurry up all things because there were a space race against the U.S. of America. to anywhere: Moon, Venus and Mars.

Then, now the view on the space is somewhat more calm than before so anybody are not in hurry to send any spacecraft to the space as a race but rather as on self pace rate in which it will guarantee a much higher mission success rate.

Hope that Russian, in that time, will manage better the space exploration programs without any kind race with any nation of Earth...rather better with more international cooperation

Rodolfo

[Guest_Richard Trigaux_*]

I think that previously Russian has failed many missions due mainly to political factors rather than technical reasons. The Soviet's leaders had made a lot of pressure and unrealistic judgment on engineers and scientists to do anything almost impossible, hurry up all things because there were a space race against the U.S. of America. to anywhere: Moon, Venus and Mars.

Then, now the view on the space is somewhat more calm than before so anybody are not in hurry to send any spacecraft to the space as a race but rather as on self pace rate in which it will guarantee a much higher mission success rate.

Hope that Russian, in that time, will manage better the space exploration programs without any kind race with any nation of Earth...rather better with more international cooperation

Rodolfo

I Agree with all this.