Author Topic: Kavoshgar Pishgam -- Aftab (Iranian Space Monkey) (Read 43456 times)

Galactic Penguin SST · « **on:** 01/15/2013 03:20 pm »

OK they are trying the monkey flight again in early February: http://ria.ru/science/20130115/918207241.html

Actually I wonder if the second "unannounced launch failure" reported last year in 3Q 2012 is related to sub-orbital launches, instead of an orbital launch as Janes claimed? Because such a flight was announced in August 2012, then got "postponed"......

JazzFan · « **Reply #1 on:** 01/17/2013 12:26 am »

Hope this is not a failure like in May and September of 2012. It would be very depressing to see hazmat teams picking up charred monkey parts from the satellite photos.

JimO · « **Reply #2 on:** 01/17/2013 03:36 am »

I remain cautiously 'out of step' on these stories of an earlier monkey flight failure, as observers here remember. From where I'm investigating, it looks to me like a French reporter's garble of an ambiguous Iranian press interview, that was misinterpreted and then widely re-reported from anti-regime folks inside and outside the country. I've been assured by people who claim to have received secret briefings from US intelligence agencies that the story is real -- I just have not seen such evidence.

William Graham · « **Reply #3 on:** 01/25/2013 10:13 am »

Quote from: K210 on 01/25/2013 07:58 am

regarding the monkey to be launched next month does anybody know if the flight is orbital or sub-orbital?

Suborbital, I believe.

Satori · « **Reply #4 on:** 01/28/2013 11:04 am »

Just out: Iran sends living creature into space http://presstv.com/detail/2013/01/28/285992/iran-sends-living-creature-into-space/

Satori · « **Reply #5 on:** 01/28/2013 11:16 am »

Looks like the capsule returned intact, but there are no informations about the fate of the monkey.

Satori · « **Reply #6 on:** 01/28/2013 11:19 am »

Press TV is calling Pishgam to the biocapsule.

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/01/28/285996/iran-sends-living-creature-into-space/

Satori · « **Reply #7 on:** 01/28/2013 11:22 am »

Quote from: Satori on 01/28/2013 11:16 am

Looks like the capsule returned intact, but there are no informations about the fate of the monkey.

Last information says the monkey is alive after the safe return to Earth.

jcm · « **Reply #8 on:** 01/28/2013 11:35 am »

Confusion about the launch date: http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/01/28/285996/iran-sends-living-creature-into-space/ says "launched on Tuesday on the auspicious birthday anniversary of Prophet Mohammad" - Tuesday presumably means Jan 21, but the birthday was celebrated Jan 24 or Jan 25 as far as I can tell from some quick googling. I assume Jan 21 is the actual date but I worry a bit because news service translation from Persian has been iffy in the past

Satori · « **Reply #9 on:** 01/28/2013 11:44 am »

Yes, I also find that strange. Or maybe the news was supposed to be issued tomorrow and the launch took place in the last hours.

jcm · « **Reply #10 on:** 01/28/2013 12:01 pm »

Further googling suggests Shia celebrate Muhammad on 17th Rabi al Awwal and http://www.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=13911109000760
the Persian Fars news agency page (+google trans) seems to say" on the auspicious day of the birth of Islam's Prophet Basadt Dear Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS) and on the eve of the Festival of Mubarak," - the Sadiq date is also 17th Rabi al Awwal, I can't find anything that makes sense for the Mubarak thing. 1 Rabi Awwal was 12 Jan 2013 it seems, so 17 should be today, Mon Jan 28, although the date
on the arabic version of farsnews (which doesn't seem to have the story yet) is 16 Rabi... maybe a sunset-change-of-date thing? As you can tell I am confused...

Satori · « **Reply #11 on:** 01/28/2013 12:29 pm »

Apparently, this is the little guy that was sent into space. Picture from http://www.iranmilitaryforum.net/space-technology-and-news/

Satori · « **Reply #12 on:** 01/28/2013 12:31 pm »

Quote from: jcm on 01/28/2013 12:01 pm

Further googling suggests Shia celebrate Muhammad on 17th Rabi al Awwal and http://www.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=13911109000760
the Persian Fars news agency page (+google trans) seems to say" on the auspicious day of the birth of Islam's Prophet Basadt Dear Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and Imam Jafar Sadiq (AS) and on the eve of the Festival of Mubarak," - the Sadiq date is also 17th Rabi al Awwal, I can't find anything that makes sense for the Mubarak thing. 1 Rabi Awwal was 12 Jan 2013 it seems, so 17 should be today, Mon Jan 28, although the date
on the arabic version of farsnews (which doesn't seem to have the story yet) is 16 Rabi... maybe a sunset-change-of-date thing? As you can tell I am confused...

Jonathan, the Press TV news is now corrected and says that the launch was Monday.

Satori · « **Reply #13 on:** 01/28/2013 12:47 pm »

Some images of the launch preparations and from the actual launch (http://www.iranmilitaryforum.net/space-technology-and-news/breaking-iri-sends-living-creature-into-space/).

jcm · « **Reply #14 on:** 01/28/2013 12:50 pm »

Quote from: Satori on 01/28/2013 12:29 pm

Apparently, this is the little guy that was sent into space. Picture from http://www.iranmilitaryforum.net/space-technology-and-news/

so probably /macaca mulatta/ (rhesus monkey) ?

Ben the Space Brit · « **Reply #15 on:** 01/28/2013 01:06 pm »

That thing looks like an up-scaled Scud! I'll be surprised if it has anything resembling throttle control so the ride towards MECO must have been... rough.

Anyway; I'm thinking about trajectory. Iran doesn't have an East Coast. Because of this, launching eastwards would overfly Pakistan and India, two neighbours whose cultural dislike of Shia Muslims and atomic strike capability would make such an endeavour foolhardy to say the least. So, I'm thinking a polar or near-polar trajectory. Would that have necessitated a recovery of the capsule from the Persian Gulf or Arabian Sea?

[edit]
Of course, Shepherd and Grissom only ducked above the atmosphere for a few minutes and that was technically a 'spaceflight'. I might be wrong to assume an orbital flight at all - it could have easily been a fifteen-minute sub-orbital hop into the Arabian Sea.

jcm · « **Reply #16 on:** 01/28/2013 01:14 pm »

Quote from: Ben the Space Brit on 01/28/2013 01:06 pm

That thing looks like an up-scaled Scud! I'll be surprised if it has anything resembling throttle control so the ride towards MECO must have been... rough.

Anyway; I'm thinking about trajectory. Iran doens't have an East Coast. Because of this, launching eastwards would overfly Pakistan and India, two neighbours whose cultural dislike of Shia Muslims and atomic strike capability would make such an endeavour foolhardy to say the least. So, I'm thinking a polar or near-polar trajectory. Would that have necessitated a recovery of the capsule from the Persian Gulf or Arabian Sea?

up-scaled? This is much smaller than a Scud. More like a Black Brant.
And this was a short range flight, entirely within Iran I would assume.

Their orbital satellite launches do go eastwards but are probably already in orbit by the time they go over neighbours.

(and yes, per your edit, this was suborbital only)

Skyrocket · « **Reply #17 on:** 01/28/2013 01:39 pm »

Quote from: jcm on 01/28/2013 01:14 pm

up-scaled? This is much smaller than a Scud. More like a Black Brant.
And this was a short range flight, entirely within Iran I would assume.

Their orbital satellite launches do go eastwards but are probably already in orbit by the time they go over neighbours.

(and yes, per your edit, this was suborbital only)

The rocket looks like the Kavoshgar-4 rocket launched in 2011, which was derived from the Zelzal. Kavoshgar-5 was reportedly also similar.

AS-503 · « **Reply #18 on:** 01/28/2013 02:38 pm »

Looks like Iran has a primate astronaut.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21230691

Anyone here know the LV well enough to predict what kind of g forces they put on that little rascal?

Nahavandi · « **Reply #19 on:** 01/28/2013 04:05 pm »

Does this launch have any scientific significance at all?