PFS issue on Venus Express, PFS scanner stuck in its closed position |
PFS issue on Venus Express, PFS scanner stuck in its closed position |
Mar 21 2006, 09:03 PM
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#1
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Member Group: Members Posts: 370 Joined: 12-September 05 From: France Member No.: 495 |
Bad news for PFS. I hope they will be able to solve this issue.
The PFS scanner is stuck in its closed position. Several attempts to move it were made at the time, but the instrument did not respond. Experts suspected a thermal problem by which low temperatures were blocking the rotation of the mechanism. Another attempt to move the scanner was made on 16 March 2006, in warmer flight conditions. Unfortunately, the scanner remains stuck. The next opportunity to perform another test on the spacecraft will be end of April, after the Venus Orbit Insertion. From http://sci.esa.int/science-e/www/object/in...fobjectid=38964 |
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Apr 15 2006, 01:49 PM
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1636 Joined: 9-May 05 From: Lima, Peru Member No.: 385 |
Thanks much Rakhir for the pointing topic.
I was thinking that any probe, robot, rover or any spacecraft must carry along with him an useful and smart general purpose arm to solve for any problems that they might be stuckduring its exploration. The robot arm plays the rol as an auxiliar for any mechanical problems such as to align correctly the motor troubled antenna; puff off the dirt from lens, unstuck the troubled panel solar; repair a panel solar; lift off from the surface the troubled wheel (the wheel must be designed to be able to lift off independently from the other, this is the MER's problem and MSL might have it); help to unstuck /stuck the IDD; push any interesing rock to see its bottom; help to tilt the rover to a right angle in anywhere when the battery is low; and many much useful auxiliar examples that a arm can help to rovers. The good example was the ones from Shuttle. Its long arm has helped to simplify and solve the thermal problems by removing a small debris under the nose.... Why not any spacecraft bring an arm with itself! Spirit need a help from a smart arm to spin the injured wheel or knock softly it to see if the motor will turn on again Of course, that carrying an extra weight of the arm, it would save millions dollars if the problem is arised. It is like a kind of space insurance. Now, the troubled PFS is the point of iceberg for this discussion. Rodolfo |
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Apr 15 2006, 02:51 PM
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#3
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Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14448 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
Of course, that carrying an extra weight of the arm, it would save millions dollars if the problem is arised. It is like a kind of space insurance Unfortunately on the size, volume, mass, power, money, development budgets of anything short of a space shuttle, it just doesnt make a lot of sense, and is basically impossible. For example - you'd have to ask "OK - do I want 6 instruments on VEX, or 2, plus an arm to make sure they deploy" or "an extra 50kg of hyrdazine for a great extended mission for 5 instruments, or a system that might or might not guarentee 6 instruments for 5 years less time" Doug |
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Apr 15 2006, 03:00 PM
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#4
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2488 Joined: 17-April 05 From: Glasgow, Scotland, UK Member No.: 239 |
Doug:
Just give up on unmanned spacecraft, and make it a condition of PI status (hell, no make it for all of 'em) on future vehicles that they be 'briefly manned' by whoever's instrument has gone most over budget. The lucky loser gets launched with the spacecraft and has the task of manually removing all covers, straightening any booms and clearing off debris before their PLSS oxygen runs out. If Tombaugh can go to Pluto or Shoemaker can go to the Moon *after* they're dead, why not just bow to the inevitable and send them just *before* they pop their corks? It'd certainly make the JWST more doable, and as for Lunar landers... Bob Shaw -------------------- Remember: Time Flies like the wind - but Fruit Flies like bananas!
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Apr 16 2006, 12:33 AM
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#5
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8789 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Doug: Just give up on unmanned spacecraft, and make it a condition of PI status (hell, no make it for all of 'em) on future vehicles that they be 'briefly manned' by whoever's instrument has gone most over budget. The lucky loser gets launched with the spacecraft and has the task of manually removing all covers, straightening any booms and clearing off debris before their PLSS oxygen runs out. If Tombaugh can go to Pluto or Shoemaker can go to the Moon *after* they're dead, why not just bow to the inevitable and send them just *before* they pop their corks? It'd certainly make the JWST more doable, and as for Lunar landers... Bob Shaw Yeow...nihilistic to the nth, Bob...but I sympathize! Project management as a discipline in aerospace has unfortuntately degenerated into a political rather than practical exercise in too many respects. No-kidding systems engineering would prevent stupid things like the PFS anomaly; the challenge is to make the investment in effort & materiel up-front. -------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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