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

[PhilHorzempa]

The Russians have recently issued a video summary of the Phobos-Grunt
mission.

You can find it at this site.

http://restart.roscosms.ru/Media/FOBOS2.wmv


It sounds as if the proper way to pronounce the name of this spacecraft
is Phobos-Groond. Also, if anyone is fluent in Russian, a translation would
be welcome.

The Phobos-Grunt mission appears to be ambitious and exciting. Note that
the return capsule foregoes a parachute, and uses "lithobraking" upon
landing on the Earth!
Also, the return sample core appears to build on the technology of the
latter Luna sample return missions, with the core being coiled-up inside of
the return capsule.

One interesting observation concerns the animation of Phobos itself.
Those of us who know the features of our Moon well, will recognize the map
of our Moon's Far Side wrapped around an irregularly-shaped object.


Another Phil