[X] My Assistant

[MizarKey]

Thanks to Ustrax in this post , I've had a chance to see some of the Russian images I've never seen.

It looks like they had some problems with stitching or something. Note these two:

February 25 program 4 image 8Z


Larger

February 26 program 5 image 12Z


Larger

Same approx. area, one has a folded landscape on the left, the other has an old crater...right hand side appears to be the same though. I don't know if there's a way to find out where this area is to compare it to MOC images...

[Dio]

>> Welcome to our discussion, Dio. It's good to have contributions from Russia. If you look back through this >> forum, under Venus, Moon and Mars, you will see we have a lot of interest in the Soviet missions. Of course >> there is still a lot more to learn. But I am especially interested in future developments including
>> Phobos-Grunt and Luna-Glob.

Thank you, Phil.

I definilely heard from some person working in Lavochkin that Luna-Glob is entirely paper work and PR of authorities. No real work was accomplished in this area since middle 90th.

>> Seems to me that one site in Cuba, one in Crimea and one near Vladivostok should work just as well as
>> Goldstone-Madrid-Canberra except perhaps at high southern latitudes.

In retrospective view, Cuba could be nice place geographically, but politically troublesome.

[JonClarke]

I definilely heard from some person working in Lavochkin that Luna-Glob is entirely paper work and PR of authorities. No real work was accomplished in this area since middle 90th

In your opinion is this true of the Phobos Grunt mission also?

Thanks

Jon

[Dio]

In your opinion is this true of the Phobos Grunt mission also?

My words on this subject here are just the second-hand testimony, so my personal opinion is of no value.

The same source as above claimed that assembly of Phobos-Grunt craft is gradually carried out, though it is not work of high internal priority for Lavochkin and it was repeatedly stalled during last years. After multipe delays, re-plannings etc., noone could get qualified estimate of a-priory success ratio. There is lots of scepsis about this project. But the situation is different from Luna-Glob.

As I was informed, modern Lavochkin projects could be roughly devided to three parts.

First, alive ones with approximately clean perspective, include Spectr-R and Electro-L.

Second are half-alive, Phobos-Grunt and Spectr-UF among them.

3rd, "Luna-Glob", "Resonans" and "Spectr-M" were characterized as programs, existence of which "became known to Lavochkin collaborators from newspapers" and "to this list one could easily append landing on the surface of Sun and delivery of samples from Pluto".

[JonClarke]

My words on this subject here are just the second-hand testimony, so my personal opinion is of no value.

I would not be so deprecating of your contribution. It is most valued. Thanks for sharing it.

What you say is a bit disapointing, but understandable under the circumstances. It's good to hear that Spectr-R and Electro-L are looking good, and that the fact that some work is still being done Phobos-Grunt and Spectr-UF is encouraging. I hope they fly. I met some people from Lavochin several years ago, I was most impressed.

Best

Jon