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PFS issue on Venus Express, PFS scanner stuck in its closed position
Rakhir
post Mar 21 2006, 09:03 PM
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Bad news for PFS. I hope they will be able to solve this issue. sad.gif

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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RNeuhaus
post Apr 15 2006, 01:49 PM
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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 wink.gif

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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djellison
post Apr 15 2006, 02:51 PM
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QUOTE (RNeuhaus @ Apr 15 2006, 01:49 PM) *
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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Bob Shaw
post Apr 15 2006, 03:00 PM
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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


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nprev
post Apr 16 2006, 12:33 AM
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QUOTE (Bob Shaw @ Apr 15 2006, 08:00 AM) *
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.


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Posts in this topic
- Rakhir   PFS issue on Venus Express   Mar 21 2006, 09:03 PM
- - AlexBlackwell   QUOTE (Rakhir @ Mar 21 2006, 09:03 PM) Ba...   Mar 21 2006, 09:19 PM
- - BruceMoomaw   No, I didn't anticipate it at all, and it...   Mar 21 2006, 09:36 PM
- - djellison   Boys - don't make me come in here!! I...   Mar 22 2006, 08:37 AM
|- - The Messenger   QUOTE (djellison @ Mar 22 2006, 01:37 AM)...   Mar 22 2006, 03:07 PM
|- - djellison   QUOTE (The Messenger @ Mar 22 2006, 03:07...   Mar 22 2006, 04:05 PM
|- - BruceMoomaw   QUOTE (djellison @ Mar 22 2006, 04:05 PM)...   Mar 22 2006, 08:15 PM
|- - Marz   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Mar 22 2006, 02:15 P...   Mar 22 2006, 10:04 PM
||- - GravityWaves   QUOTE (Marz @ Mar 22 2006, 07:04 PM) Afte...   Mar 23 2006, 02:21 PM
||- - Borek   QUOTE (GravityWaves @ Mar 23 2006, 03:21 ...   Apr 5 2006, 07:02 PM
||- - djellison   QUOTE (Borek @ Apr 5 2006, 07:02 PM) You ...   Apr 5 2006, 07:05 PM
||- - ugordan   High Resolution channel being out of focus or not,...   Apr 5 2006, 07:06 PM
|- - djellison   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Mar 22 2006, 08:15 P...   Mar 22 2006, 10:31 PM
|- - The Messenger   QUOTE (djellison @ Mar 22 2006, 03:31 PM)...   Mar 23 2006, 04:06 PM
|- - JRehling   QUOTE (The Messenger @ Mar 23 2006, 08:06...   Mar 23 2006, 07:31 PM
- - deglr6328   I am only able to remember one instance where a st...   Mar 22 2006, 09:13 AM
|- - tty   QUOTE (deglr6328 @ Mar 22 2006, 10:13 AM)...   Mar 22 2006, 12:22 PM
|- - tedstryk   QUOTE (deglr6328 @ Mar 22 2006, 09:13 AM)...   Mar 23 2006, 03:14 PM
|- - tasp   QUOTE (deglr6328 @ Mar 22 2006, 03:13 AM)...   Mar 24 2006, 01:26 AM
- - edstrick   Mariner 10 venus/mercury had two solar wind instru...   Mar 22 2006, 11:14 AM
- - ljk4-1   The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory almost didn...   Mar 22 2006, 03:21 PM
|- - The Messenger   QUOTE It IS inappropriate to bring Iraq into it, t...   Mar 22 2006, 05:27 PM
|- - Bob Shaw   QUOTE (The Messenger @ Mar 22 2006, 05:27...   Mar 22 2006, 06:52 PM
|- - djellison   QUOTE (The Messenger @ Mar 22 2006, 05:27...   Mar 22 2006, 06:58 PM
|- - AlexBlackwell   QUOTE (djellison @ Mar 22 2006, 06:58 PM)...   Mar 22 2006, 07:05 PM
- - BruceMoomaw   Did I happen to mention the central relevance of t...   Mar 23 2006, 01:34 AM
- - djellison   For those that have not seen the BBC series 'T...   Mar 23 2006, 03:29 PM
- - djellison   There is no commonality between the aparant failur...   Mar 23 2006, 04:46 PM
|- - GravityWaves   QUOTE (djellison @ Mar 23 2006, 01:46 PM)...   Mar 25 2006, 05:24 PM
|- - The Messenger   QUOTE (djellison @ Mar 23 2006, 09:46 AM)...   Mar 25 2006, 05:42 PM
- - hendric   I've wondered if missions shouldn't start ...   Mar 23 2006, 04:49 PM
|- - AlexBlackwell   QUOTE (hendric @ Mar 23 2006, 04:49 PM) I...   Mar 23 2006, 04:56 PM
|- - ljk4-1   QUOTE (hendric @ Mar 23 2006, 11:49 AM) I...   Mar 23 2006, 05:23 PM
- - djellison   Woudlnt it make more sense to simply spend the tim...   Mar 23 2006, 05:30 PM
- - BruceMoomaw   Well, you know, constant repetition is a very impo...   Mar 23 2006, 09:30 PM
|- - dvandorn   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Mar 23 2006, 03:30 P...   Mar 24 2006, 12:47 AM
|- - BruceMoomaw   QUOTE (dvandorn @ Mar 24 2006, 12:47 AM) ...   Mar 24 2006, 02:16 AM
|- - AlexBlackwell   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Mar 24 2006, 02:16 A...   Mar 24 2006, 02:20 AM
- - Decepticon   Do we know 100% that the instrument has failed? M...   Mar 24 2006, 03:15 AM
- - BruceMoomaw   That's just what we've been talking about ...   Mar 24 2006, 06:12 AM
- - BruceMoomaw   I'm somewhat inclined to be forgiving where mo...   Mar 25 2006, 09:50 PM
|- - Bob Shaw   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Mar 25 2006, 09:50 P...   Mar 25 2006, 10:20 PM
|- - djellison   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Mar 25 2006, 09:50 P...   Mar 25 2006, 10:40 PM
- - BruceMoomaw   I would have loved the robotic Hubble mission IF T...   Mar 26 2006, 03:48 AM
|- - djellison   Not that much cheaper if you wanted to do anything...   Mar 26 2006, 10:03 AM
- - BruceMoomaw   In most repair cases, yeah. But occasionally you...   Mar 27 2006, 07:16 AM
- - BruceMoomaw   I've E-mailed Formisano to ask him when the ne...   Apr 12 2006, 11:05 PM
|- - Rakhir   Bruce, I've e-mailed him just after the VOI ...   Apr 13 2006, 07:04 AM
- - RNeuhaus   Thanks much Rakhir for the pointing topic. I was ...   Apr 15 2006, 01:49 PM
|- - djellison   QUOTE (RNeuhaus @ Apr 15 2006, 01:49 PM) ...   Apr 15 2006, 02:51 PM
|- - Bob Shaw   Doug: Just give up on unmanned spacecraft, and ma...   Apr 15 2006, 03:00 PM
||- - nprev   QUOTE (Bob Shaw @ Apr 15 2006, 08:00 AM) ...   Apr 16 2006, 12:33 AM
|- - RNeuhaus   QUOTE (djellison @ Apr 15 2006, 09:51 AM)...   Apr 15 2006, 03:22 PM
- - BruceMoomaw   Weight-wise and expense-wise, it would make MUCH m...   Apr 15 2006, 10:38 PM
|- - JRehling   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Apr 15 2006, 03:38 P...   Apr 16 2006, 04:36 AM
|- - tty   QUOTE (JRehling @ Apr 16 2006, 06:36 AM) ...   Apr 16 2006, 04:45 PM
- - BruceMoomaw   I'm not sure I'd go THAT far -- that would...   Apr 16 2006, 08:44 AM
- - Rakhir   Emily reported in her blog that the VEX team manag...   May 2 2006, 07:00 AM
- - Sunspot   Well its not like the public are ever going to get...   May 2 2006, 11:57 AM
|- - The Messenger   QUOTE (Sunspot @ May 2 2006, 05:57 AM) We...   May 2 2006, 03:08 PM
|- - DonPMitchell   It is bad news. The Fourier spectrometer was very...   May 6 2006, 05:11 PM
|- - djellison   QUOTE (DonPMitchell @ May 6 2006, 06:11 P...   May 6 2006, 06:28 PM
|- - dvandorn   QUOTE (DonPMitchell @ May 6 2006, 12:11 P...   May 7 2006, 07:23 AM
|- - The Messenger   QUOTE (DonPMitchell @ May 6 2006, 11:11 A...   May 7 2006, 07:56 PM
|- - Bob Shaw   QUOTE (The Messenger @ May 7 2006, 08:56 ...   May 7 2006, 08:30 PM
- - sawyer   I've thought that a very smaller crawler robot...   May 2 2006, 03:02 PM
- - BruceMoomaw   Tentative good news on the PFS mirror front from ...   May 8 2006, 01:51 PM
- - BruceMoomaw   Glum news on the subject from the May 22 Aviation ...   May 31 2006, 05:51 AM
|- - DonPMitchell   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ May 30 2006, 10:51 P...   May 31 2006, 05:46 PM
- - ljk4-1   Any chance they could use the probe's thruster...   May 31 2006, 03:05 PM
- - gpurcell   I sense PFS Discovery proposal memos being generat...   May 31 2006, 09:54 PM
- - BruceMoomaw   It might be possible to add such a spectrometer to...   May 31 2006, 10:54 PM
|- - gpurcell   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ May 31 2006, 10:54 P...   Jun 1 2006, 01:43 PM
|- - JRehling   Messenger has two spectrometers and is making a fl...   Jun 1 2006, 04:16 PM
|- - BruceMoomaw   QUOTE (gpurcell @ Jun 1 2006, 01:43 PM) B...   Jun 1 2006, 10:46 PM
|- - centsworth_II   QUOTE (BruceMoomaw @ Jun 1 2006, 06:46 PM...   Jun 2 2006, 02:54 AM
- - ljk4-1   If someone could clarify for me: What could be do...   Jun 5 2006, 02:37 PM
|- - DonPMitchell   QUOTE (ljk4-1 @ Jun 5 2006, 07:37 AM...   Jun 5 2006, 08:06 PM
|- - ljk4-1   QUOTE (DonPMitchell @ Jun 5 2006, 04:06 P...   Jun 5 2006, 08:09 PM
|- - JRehling   QUOTE (ljk4-1 @ Jun 5 2006, 01:09 PM...   Jun 5 2006, 08:31 PM
- - DonPMitchell   FYI, here is the hubble photo of Venus. I dug up ...   Jun 5 2006, 09:27 PM
- - The Messenger   Notta about the PFS in the latest ESA press releas...   Jun 27 2006, 01:29 PM
|- - ustrax   QUOTE (The Messenger @ Jun 27 2006, 02:29...   Jun 27 2006, 01:34 PM
- - Rakhir   Current planning does not forsee any PFS testing u...   Jul 21 2006, 03:05 PM
- - PhilHorzempa   I have it, from a Brilliant Reliable Unmanned Craf...   Jul 24 2006, 03:57 AM
|- - stevesliva   QUOTE (PhilHorzempa @ Jul 23 2006, 11:57 ...   Sep 18 2006, 08:09 PM
- - AlexBlackwell   PFS is still off according to the latest VEx updat...   Sep 7 2006, 10:29 PM
|- - JRehling   Messenger will fly by Venus in six weeks. Does any...   Sep 7 2006, 11:14 PM
|- - AlexBlackwell   QUOTE (JRehling @ Sep 7 2006, 01:14 PM) M...   Sep 7 2006, 11:19 PM
|- - JRehling   QUOTE (AlexBlackwell @ Sep 7 2006, 04:19 ...   Sep 8 2006, 01:54 AM
- - Rakhir   A hardware safe occured while the PFS was ON (addi...   Oct 6 2006, 08:56 AM
- - Rakhir   Still no news in the 10 october status report conc...   Oct 10 2006, 04:03 PM


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