I thought I would start a thread about this launch, which looks promising This mission will be launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard a Soyuz-U rocket, and is intended to do microgravity experiments during the 12 days the mission will last. Lots of new science (I hope) to be done here:
There's an article at ESA's website talking about the Foton-M3 mission and its preparations: http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMUGCN0LYE_index_0.html
And NasaWatch has posted a heads-up concerning the -very active- group of students participating in the YES2-Fotino mission, which is quite original: a small reentry capsule linked to the main craft (Foton M3) by a 32km-long tether, the largest structure ever deployed in space, which apparently will test techniques for changes of orbit without fuel (by means of interactions between the charged tether and the magnetosphere, not unlike what www.tethers.com are planning to do, launching their MAST satellite in the Dnepr soon)
I found the YES2 official website, a nice blog (they had another with more info about the spacecraft, but apparently they lost it because of a virus attack) http://www.yes2.info/?q=frontpage
The ESA site about YES2: http://www.esa.int/esaED/SEMVJ1AATME_index_0.html
oscar71 - 25/6/2007 4:19 PMFoton looks a lot like Vostok.
GW_Simulations - 25/5/2007 11:27 PMWhich pad will they be using? LC-1 or 31
otisbow - 14/7/2007 12:23 AM Unlike the US, the Russians do not throw away a spacecraft. That is why the Vostok and Soyuz are still flying!
We did so. For example Energia-Buran.