Launch News (Failure) Phobos-Grunt and YingHuo-1 atop Zenit-2 on November 8/9, 2011

[GigaG]

This is just sad...

 

[Ripley]

Heard about this?
Is it PG, starting to rip apart?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/8972985/Mystery-space-ball-drops-on-Namibia.html

 

[GigaG]

Aw crud. Maybe if a miracle happened, and this is not a piece of PG, they could fly it to an asteroid? But by now, I'd give that about a .01% chance of happening. Such a shame, that the first sample return from a planet failed...

 

[SiberianTiger]

Heard about this?
Is it PG, starting to rip apart?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/space/8972985/Mystery-space-ball-drops-on-Namibia.html

Unlikely.

 

[orb]

RIA Novosti: Russia’s lost Phobos-Grunt to fall in Afghanistan – U.S. military

Universe Today: Phobos-Grunt Predicted to Fall in Afghanistan on January 14

SPACE.com: Parts of Doomed Russian Mars Probe to Hit Earth in January

 

[SiberianTiger]

Saying it will hit precisely Afghanistan is much more risky than betting on zero at this point.

 

[RisingFury]

Is this accurate?

RIA Novosti just asserts U.S. military made the prediction and every other article I could find in a quick Google search references the article by RIA Novosti.

They don't provide any link to an interview, audio clip, video or anything else.

 

[orb]

Universe Today: Video: Phobos-Grunt Re-Entry Animation


AGI:

 

[Notebook]

Nice animation.

N.

 

[orb]

Discovery News: Stranded Russian Mars Probe to Crash in 11 Days

SPACE.com: Doomed Russian Mars Probe May Crash to Earth on Jan. 15

 

[Ghostrider]

We're all gonna die. (TM)

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

A very clear photo by French observer Thierry Legault taken on New Year's Day shows Phobos-Grunt's solar arrays deployed, but facing the opposite side of the Sun. Could this be the one error that killed it off?

Video of the P-G pass as seen in Nice

 

[n122vu]

Is there no guidance on the craft whatsoever? If so, wouldn't gravity gradient torque have caused the bottom of the spacecraft to point toward the earth? Looks to me like its almost in a LVLH mode. Or has it just not been long enough for the gravity gradient torque to have effect?

Otherwise, if its orbiting and not maintaining prograde facing, then there is minimal light reaching the panels, which could be a contributing factor in my opinion.

 

[otisbow]

I watched the spacecraft pass over Little Rock early today.

 

[Luke Skywalker]

What is it's current orbit? I'd like to simulate it's reentry in orbiter and see IF it does land in Afghanistan.

 

[orb]

What is it's current orbit?

PHOBOS-GRUNT            
1 37872U 11065A   12005.85428140  .00475037  12013-4  11169-3 0  2328
2 37872  51.4218  45.6202 0035238 283.8678  75.8412 16.27018653  9355

Phobos-Grunt                    3.3 v            224 x 177 km
1 37872U 11065A   12005.91568116  .00476933  10273-3  11044-3 0 90008
2 37872  51.4218  45.2779 0035168 284.1270  75.4824 16.27077104  9364

EDIT: Some more recent:

PHOBOS-GRUNT            
1 37872U 11065A   12006.46833551  .00494714  12032-4  10997-3 0  2357
2 37872 051.4209 042.1947 0034620 286.6681 073.0661 16.27657356  94580

Phobos-Grunt                    3.3 v            221 x 176 km
1 37872U 11065A   12006.71387160  .00504163  10062-3  10897-3 0 90003
2 37872  51.4208  40.8256 0033911 287.8991  71.7313 16.27916287  9498

 

[orb]

SPACE.com:

• Complete Coverage: The Fall of Russia's Mars Probe Phobos-Grunt
  
  
• Skywatcher Catches Video of Doomed Russian Mars Probe
  
  
• The Crash of Failed Mars Probe Phobos-Grunt (Infographic)

​

 

[orb]

Parabolic Arc: Russia Downplays Danger as Phobos-Grunt Nears Re-entry

 

[orb]

USA Today - Tech: Underfunding doomed Russian Mars probe, lawyer says

RIA Novosti: Russia was well aware of Phobos-Grunt mission risks - space chief

SPACE.com: Russian Space Failures May Be Result of Foul Play, Official Says

 

[n72.75]

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/11/s...uggests-weapon-caused-spacecraft-failure.html