Author Topic: LIVE: Zenit-2SB launch with Phobos-Grunt - November 8, 2011 (Read 667011 times)

mr.columbus · « **Reply #40 on:** 05/30/2009 11:28 am »

Quote from: Phillip Clark on 05/16/2009 08:37 am

The Chinese are still reporting that their Yinghuo 1 Mars probe is scheduled to be launched with Fobos-Grunt in October this year.

Well, just two days ago Zhang Weiqiang of SAST also insisted that the launch was still on for the second half of this year.

http://sify.com/news/fullstory.php?a=jf2s4pcbdad&title=China_to_launch_first_Mars_probe_later_this_year

JimO · « **Reply #41 on:** 06/26/2009 04:45 pm »

Last month, Lavochkin officials singled out "June 17" as the make-or-break delivery date of components of Fobos-Grunt.

A full week has gone by now, and I've seen no news whatsoever about this milestone being accomplished.

So what can we deduce from this silence?

patchfree · « **Reply #42 on:** 06/27/2009 09:08 pm »

Anatoly ZAK met G Polyschuck and had a clear info about the status of Phobos-Grunt.

See: http://www.russianspaceweb.com/phobos_grunt_preflight.html#lebourget

2552 · « **Reply #43 on:** 08/21/2009 09:19 am »

After the sample has been sent on its way back to Earth, the lander will continue studying the surface of Phobos. Since Phobos has almost no gravity, would it be possible for the lander to take off again, and land at a different location on Phobos to study the surface in detail from multiple locations?

EE Scott · « **Reply #44 on:** 08/21/2009 10:51 am »

Quote from: patchfree on 06/27/2009 09:08 pm

Anatoly ZAK met G Polyschuck and had a clear info about the status of Phobos-Grunt.

See: http://www.russianspaceweb.com/phobos_grunt_preflight.html#lebourget

According to the page above, they are still testing major elements of this spacecraft (e.g., Aug 12, testing of the landing radar). Wow, that is a very tight schedule they have going there. I guess if they find problems in their testing of duplicate hardware, they would put the launch off until 2011.

Liss · « **Reply #45 on:** 08/30/2009 10:16 am »

Other news from the MAKS-2009 air show in Zhukovskiy give the following picture:

http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=rus&q=125875&cid=437&p=18.08.2009&pn=1

Quote

Çàïóñê êîñìè÷åñêîãî àïïàðàòà "Ôîáîñ-ãðóíò" ê ñïóòíèêó Ìàðñà ìîæåò ñîñòîÿòüñÿ â íà÷àëå íîÿáðÿ. Îá ýòîì ñîîáùèë íà àâèàöèîííî-êîñìè÷åñêîì ñàëîíå ÌÀÊÑ-2009 â ïîäìîñêîâíîì Æóêîâñêîì ãåíåðàëüíûé êîíñòðóêòîð è ãåíäèðåêòîð ÍÏÎ èìåíè Ëàâî÷êèíà Ãåîðãèé Ïîëèùóê. Ðàáîòû èäóò ïî ãðàôèêó. Ñåé÷àñ ïðîõîäÿò èñïûòàíèÿ áîðòîâîé àïïàðàòóðû.

Launch may be made in the beginning of November. Onboard devices are being tested now.

http://www.roscosmos.ru/NewsDoSele.asp?NEWSID=7155

Quote

Âñå ðàáîòû ïî «Ôîáîñ-Ãðóíò» ìû ïëàíèðóåì çàâåðøèòü ê 20 ñåíòÿáðÿ. Ñåé÷àñ èäóò êîìïëåêñíûå èñïûòàíèÿ. Åñëè âñå ïðîéäåò óñïåøíî, òî äîëæíû çàïóñòèòü àïïàðàò äî íà÷àëà íîÿáðÿ. Åñëè íåò, òî ñòàðò ïðèäåòñÿ îòëîæèòü íà äâà ãîäà, êîãäà â ðàñïîëîæåíèè ïëàíåò âíîâü ïîÿâèòñÿ íàèáîëåå áëàãîïðèÿòíàÿ ñèòóàöèÿ äëÿ çàïóñêà. Ïîýòîìó ñåé÷àñ ìû ïðåäïðèíèìàåì âñå, ÷òîáû ðàáîòû çàâåðøèòü â ýòîì ãîäó...

Integrated testing being made now, should be finished by September 20. If successful, launch would occur by the beginning of November. Otherwise, we'd be delayed by two years.

http://www.zhukvesti.ru/articles/detail/2042/

Quote

Ïî ñëîâàì Ã.Ïîëèùóêà, ñäà÷à ÀÌÑ «Ôîáîñ-Ãðóíò» ãîñóäàðñòâåííîé êîìèññèè íàìå÷åíà íà 20 ñåíòÿáðÿ íûíåøíåãî ãîäà. Åñëè îíà ïðîéäåò óñïåøíî, çàïóñê ñîñòîèòñÿ â ïåðâûõ ÷èñëàõ íîÿáðÿ. Åñëè êîìèññèÿ äàñò îòðèöàòåëüíîå çàêëþ÷åíèå, òî ÀÌÑ áóäåò îòïðàâëåíà íà äîðàáîòêó, à çàïóñê ïåðåíåñåí íà äâà ãîäà.

September 20 is the date for the final decision on Fobos-Grunt from the State Commission. If positive, launch would be made in the first days of November. Otherwise, a two-year delay would follow.

Well, speaking of Russian mentality and rules of Russian bureaucracy, if a boss admits publicly a possibility of delay, it should be considered very seriously. It's also clear that Polishchuk relates the final decision to higher authorities. So we'll see in three weeks what would follow.

madscientist197 · « **Reply #46 on:** 08/31/2009 08:59 am »

Hopefully it is delayed. Otherwise I fear it will be a repeat of their prior successes.

simon-th · « **Reply #47 on:** 08/31/2009 09:16 am »

Quote from: madscientist197 on 08/31/2009 08:59 am

Hopefully it is delayed. Otherwise I fear it will be a repeat of their prior successes.

Delays don't mean missions have higher success probabilities. Actually, history tells us it's the other way around.

madscientist197 · « **Reply #48 on:** 08/31/2009 11:36 am »

There's quite a history of overambitious Russian Mars missions with too little testing resulting in a mission failure. Maybe this one is different. Are you sure you're thinking of the Russian programme?

JimO · « **Reply #49 on:** 08/31/2009 01:07 pm »

The addition of the Chinese subsatellite, and this year's bragging about the mission from toip Russian leaders, may have placed intolerable pressures on the launch decision. But don't despair -- even a reduced mission, such as the Chinese probe and the Phobos lander lab, without sample return, would be an amazingly impressive mission.

Regarding the references to Mars-96, and how it dropped its plutonium packets on Bolivia -- are there any nuclear materials on F-G?

JimO · « **Reply #50 on:** 09/14/2009 09:30 pm »

Crunch time for Russia Mars probe
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8254820.stm
By Anatoly Zak , Science Reporter

Zak says a delay until 2011 is being recommended.

spacex · « **Reply #51 on:** 09/16/2009 07:31 pm »

Looks like a delay is inevitable

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ikw3CuSiSD3XpmbaTlUeMumyXZdg

Satori · « **Reply #52 on:** 09/16/2009 09:17 pm »

Novosti Kosmonavtiki is reporting that the decision that was taken on the September 16th meeting is that the mission will be delayed to 2011.

2552 · « **Reply #53 on:** 09/19/2009 10:29 am »

Damn.

pm1823 · « **Reply #54 on:** 09/19/2009 02:09 pm »

No, it is Good!

Svetoslav · « **Reply #55 on:** 09/19/2009 02:12 pm »

Roscosmos still hasn't announced an official delay, though.

Nickolai · « **Reply #56 on:** 09/21/2009 08:24 pm »

http://lenta.ru/news/2009/09/21/phobos/

This article states quotes Lev Zelenyi (director of Institute for Space Studies) as saying that the decision was taken by Roscosmos to delay the mission.

Reasons were given as "increasing reliability of the mission, lowering risk, and guaranteeing success," although the decision was still very difficult to make.

At the end of the article they mention the rumors that began circulating about delays most recently, saying these were related to fears that the control system would not withstand the lengthy flight.

Liss · « **Reply #57 on:** 09/29/2009 12:47 pm »

Today Roscosmos confirmed the delay, sort of.
In today's Rossiyskaya Gazeta, head of Roscosmos Anatoliy Perminov spoke about it as of old news.
He told that the delay was requested by the Bureau of Space Souncil of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
He also spoke about three problems leading to delay:
(1) They do not know exactly what is Phobos soil like and which type of soil capture device would be the best.
(2) They do not have 100% comms coverage yet.
(3) More careful testing of component elements is needed.

http://www.rg.ru/2009/09/29/perminov.html

For those speaking Russian there is the related excerpt:

Quote

РГ: А что с космическим аппаратом "Фобос-Грунт", запуск которого к спутнику Марса планировался в середине октября?

Перминов: Бюро совета РАН по космосу рекомендовало перенести реализацию этой научной миссии на октябрь 2011 года.

РГ: Почему?

Перминов: Для того чтобы обеспечить более высокую ее надежность. Ученые рассчитывают уточнить характер самой поверхности Фобоса. Это нужно, чтобы точнее сконструировать устройство для забора грунта. Если грунт слишком твердый, то неправильно выбранный способ его забора может свести к нулю результат столь дорогой экспедиции. Кроме того, пока не достигнута 100-процентная надежность дублированной непрерывной связи с аппаратом на всех этапах полета. Нужна и более надежная отработка составных элементов.

РГ: А с чем связан перенос именно на два года? Если бы аппарат был запущен сейчас, то к апрелю 2011 года он уже сел бы на Фобос...

Перминов: В 2011 году открывается наиболее оптимальное астрономическое окно для полета к Марсу и его спутнику. Это позволит "Фобос-Грунту" по кратчайшей траектории достичь цели и вернуться назад.

JimO · « **Reply #58 on:** 09/29/2009 03:56 pm »

Thanks for the link -- the question is, were the program planners expecting a mitacle to occur during the last few months, to solve these problems?

Danderman · « **Reply #59 on:** 12/18/2009 01:58 pm »

So, where is the launch vehicle for this project? Will it be in storage for the next 2 years?