PFS issue on Venus Express, PFS scanner stuck in its closed position Options

[Rakhir]

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

[Guest_Sunspot_*]

Well its not like the public are ever going to get to see data from Venus Express (judging from ESA's terrible record so far) only a handful of scientists working on the mission will see that..... so from th publics (and us) perspective it probably doesnt matter what does and doesnt work.

[The Messenger]

Well its not like the public are ever going to get to see data from Venus Express (judging from ESA's terrible record so far) only a handful of scientists working on the mission will see that..... so from th publics (and us) perspective it probably doesnt matter what does and doesnt work.

Its not quite that bad - they often trumpet new discoveries (I expect we will hear soon that they have discovered that Venus has an atmosphere).

In any case, we have a thread for this kind of venting:

http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...=60&#entry51717

Feel free to indulge there.

It is interesting, that in the status logs, they have simply been stating that the PFS is 'off line', the same as other instruments.

[Guest_DonPMitchell_*]

It is bad news. The Fourier spectrometer was very important. Does anyone know how its characteristics compare to the Venera-15 FS?

With regard to ESA data, they have an official site where science data is supposed to be publically posted, like NASA's PDS system: Planetary Data Archive.

Let me know if you can find any actual data there ("Have you in fact got any cheese here at all?").

[dvandorn]

("Have you in fact got any cheese here at all?").

Not... as such, sir, no.

-the other Doug