Phobos-Grunt to Mars

Beeker

Russia set to launch sample return flight to Martian moon Phobos. Launch due at 20:16 this evening.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1111/07phobosgrunt/

Beeker

Russia's long history of bad luck with Mars continues:( Spacecraft stuck in Earth orbit.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n1111/08phobosgrunt/

texidub

They are having a bad run recently. Heads will roll, (not very far obviously, but they will roll).

namloc1980

Shame about Phobos-Grunt failing to leave Earth orbit but this is the outcome of an underfunded and under tested mission. The Russians have never had any luck with Mars missions.

Capt'n Midnight

Fingers crossed on a restart.

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/space/news/russias-mars-mission-gets-stuck-in-earth-orbit-6554227

Russian operators have had one bright moment: There was only a three-day window after the launch in which they could deploy the craft’s solar panels before its batteries run out, and yesterday they pulled it off. But if Phobos-Grunt doesn’t perform the burn and stays at an orbital low point of just 120 miles, its orbit will slowly decay with each dip into the upper atmosphere, and it will fall farther toward the earth, eventually to burn up. Current estimates are that they have a couple weeks to do the burn before this happens. Finally, if the spacecraft doesn't leave soon, Russia will miss its window to Mars. The planet would move too far away for them to reach it and return with the propellant on board.
...
Russia is in contact with the vehicle, but doesn’t yet know what went wrong. There is some speculation that Phobos-Grunt had a problem transitioning from the sun-tracker navigation system used in Earth orbit to a star-tracker needed for deep space.

...
We should learn Phobos-Grunt’s fate in the coming days. If a software problem is the source of its trouble, there is a good chance of uploading some new commands and getting the mission back on track and on its way to Mars. If there is a problem with the hardware itself, however, the mission will probably be a failure, and the Ghoul will claim yet another victim.

namloc1980

Seems that Phobos-Grunt is dead Link.

This is what happens when missions are underfunded and under-tested. It's a pity because it would have been an exciting mission.

jumpjack

Why do so many russian missions fail just now that ISS survival relies on russian missions?!?

texidub

Well, I wouldn't have wanted to be on the rocket that launched last night for the ISS.

Capt'n Midnight

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45358764/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/russian-mars-probe-trying-save-itself/

The Phobos-Grunt probe is still stuck in orbit around Earth. However, periodically the spacecraft experiences a slight, mysterious boost in its orbit.

Following the first episode where this occurred, commentators speculated as to the cause. The activation of the spacecraft's thrusters — the small engines that are designed to steer the craft and make small adjustments — was an obvious answer.

Is spacecraft trying to save itself?

but

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11/21/window_closes_on_phobos_grunt/

The window to contact the stranded Phobos-Grunt and send it on its mission to the Martian moon has now closed.

The craft could still fly by the Red Planet, but it will no longer be able to complete its exploration of the Martian moon Phobos and return to Earth, space industry sources told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
...
Russian space sources have also variously given the Phobos-Grunt until December, January or even March to fall out of the sky.

Rhys Essien

If Phobos-Grunt is not salvaged,it may be the most dangerous object to fall from orbit.

Roughly 7.5 metric tonnes of highly toxic hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide are on board.

However the head of Roscosmos reckons the craft will be destroyed on re-entry.

namloc1980

Phobos-Grunt is alive but its exact state of health is unknown.

Link

Captain Chaos

It may be alive but it's mission launch window to leave Earth orbit expired 2 days ago. If they do manage to get it going it will be a one way trip, no samples will be returned. That is unless they can re-route the probe with some gravity sling shots or use the L5 points in some way. Either that or try and keep it in a stable orbit until the planets orbits are lined up again for a mission which will be around 2 years.

Times like this are when the research into ion engines would be great.

namloc1980

Roscosmos are designing contingency missions to send Phobos-Grunt to a near Earth asteroid if the probe can be brought back to full health. It could fulfil a lot of its intended Phobos mission at a NEO.

Capt'n Midnight

Captain Chaos wrote: »

It may be alive but it's mission launch window to leave Earth orbit expired 2 days ago.

even on a one way mission it could still do useful science and the Chinese probe is still to be delivered, I'm guessing the Russians could do with foreign currency

texidub

Not looking great right now...

After establishing contact with Russia's Phobos-Grunt Mars mission earlier this week, ESA's tracking station in Australia received no signal from the spacecraft last night. ESA engineers are investigating the cause in close collaboration with Russian mission controllers.

Despite listening intently during four scheduled communication passes during the night of 24–25 November, ESA's 15 m-diameter dish antenna at Perth, Australia, did not receive any signals .

The slots for communication, timed to coincide when Phobos–Grunt was passing over in direct line-of-sight with the station, began at 20:12 GMT and ran until 04:04 GMT. Each lasted just 6–8 minutes, providing very limited windows for sending commands and receiving a response.

"Our Russian colleagues provided a full set of telecommands for us to send up," said Wolfgang Hell, ESA's Phobos–Grunt Service Manager, "and Perth station was set to use the same techniques and configurations that worked earlier. But we observed no downlink radio signal from the spacecraft."

ESA's contact with the Mars mission on the night of 22 November marked the first receipt of spacecraft data since contact was lost shortly after separation from the launch vehicle was confirmed on 8 November.

One piece of positive news: observations from the ground indicate that the orbit of Phobos–Grunt has become more stable.

"This could mean that the spacecraft's attitude, or orientation, is also now stable, which could help in regaining contact because we’d be able to predict where its two antennas are pointing," said Manfred Warhaut, ESA's Head of Mission Operations at the European Space Operations Centre, Darmstadt, Germany.

"The team here at ESOC will do their utmost to assist the Russians in investigating the situation."

The next scheduled communication slots for ESA's Perth station are set for the night of 28 November, when it will again be allocated to support Phobos–Grunt.

namloc1980

The orbit of Phobos-Grunt is now starting to steadily deteriorate:



Unless something major happens it is predicted to re-enter and be destroyed in early January:

Skywatcher snaps pictures of Phobos_Grunt


http://www.space.com/13774-skywatcher-photos-russian-phobos-grunt-probe.html?utm_content=SPACEdotcom&utm_campaign=seo%20blitz&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social%20media

Cork boy 55

Old habits die hard

"Russian President Dmitry Medvedev raised the possibility of criminal prosecution for those involved in the failure of the country’s failed Phobos-Grunt mission."

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2011/12/01/medvedev-engineers-behind-russias-failed-mars-probe-could-face-prosecution/

Update on the return of Phobos-Grunt, looking suprisingly stable as it descends.

The russians are saying jan 15th.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7Mj3k4SkQ8&feature=player_embedded

http://rt.com/news/line/2012-01-04/#id24487


http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/space/stories/phobos-grunt-the-doomed-mars-probe-spotted-dropping-to-earth

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/phobos_grunt.html

Phobos Grunt has been caught on radar. Not long to go now, so it seems

http://www.messagetoeagle.com/index.php/space/37-solarsystem/1020-first-radar-image-of-the-falling-phobos-grunt-probe

sky news are hypeing that it could could down over southern england

http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16148914

Discodog

You can track it here:

http://www.lizard-tail.com/isana/tracking/index.html?&target=phobos_grunt

Could make a rather good fireball.

Just read n the paper this morning (so it must be true...) that the Russian Embassy contacted Dept of Foreign affairs and the Garda , saying there is a chance it call fall over Ireland.



Round and Round, Phobos goes, where it falls no body knows...;)

Hotblack Desiato

Looks like it re-entered over the Pacific. Phew

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16491457

The spacecraft's last orbit took it over Japan, and the Solomon Islands, and to the east of Australia and New Zealand. Conflicting reports then had the final re-entry point across a great swathe of the Southern Ocean. Certainly, it seems Phobos-Grunt was down and destroyed before it could have passed over Chile.