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Phobos-Grunt Launches To Retrieve a Sample of Phobos

Posted by Soulskill on from the go-get-'em dept.

An anonymous reader writes with news that Russia's Phobos-Grunt spacecraft has launched, taking the first step on its mission to travel to Phobos, the larger of Mars' two moons. When (and if — see below) it lands on Phobos, the probe will collect a soil sample and attempt to return it to Earth. "Russia’s Federal Space Agency said the craft separated successfully from the booster about 11 minutes later. ... The return vehicle is expected to carry up to 200 grams (7 ounces) of soil from Phobos back to Earth in August 2014. The $170 million endeavor would be Russia’s first interplanetary mission since Soviet times. A previous 1996 robotic mission to Mars ended in failure when the probe crashed in the Pacific following an engine failure." Unfortunately, there appears to have been a problem with the launch. Details are uncertain at this point, but the probe reportedly made it to orbit intact, and the mission is not necessarily ruined.

17 of 65 comments (clear)

  1. Obligatory by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 2

    ...don't say the programming is wrong and it'll now take a chunk out of the Earth and fly it to Phobos!

    In Soviet Russia...

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  2. More updates by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 5, Funny

    Update 5:09 PST. The Phobos-Grunt spacecraft has not been found in its predicted orbit.

    Update 5:45 PST. A Deep Space Network source indicates that the spacecraft is in safe mode, and the engine burn was never performed. The spacecraft could be reset, and the mission might be recoverable. Stay tuned.

    Update 7:13 PST. Vladimir Putin has announced he will be going into orbit to save the mission. He plans to pilot his craft as close to the Phobos-Grunt spacecraft as possible. He will then exit the craft (EVA), remove his shirt and throw Phobos-Grunt to Mars.

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  3. Re:Please... by DZign · · Score: 2

    I'm only interested in the results of this mission when they find samples of leather godesses :-)

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  4. Russia still hasn't learned ... by MacTO · · Score: 2

    Mars is for Amerika. Venus is for Russia.

    Seriously. Look at where each nation has had its successes and failures.

  5. $1176470.58 for a gram of Phobos Dust by tigersha · · Score: 2

    That must be the singulary most expensive stuff on the planet!

    --
    The dangers of excessive individualism are nothing compared to the oppressiveness of excessive collectivism
    1. Re:$1176470.58 for a gram of Phobos Dust by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3, Interesting

      $170m is actually pretty cheap for this sort of thing. Russia has always been good at making cheap but generally reliable space hardware. On paper it may seem like they have more failures than NASA or the ESA, but that is because they spend less time testing on the ground and more time testing in space. Even when things go wrong the overall cost is usually lower and development more rapid.

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  6. Re:7 oz of material returned by ZankerH · · Score: 4, Informative

    there isn't that much additional fuel involved in bumping the payload up from a single serving soda to a family size 12 pack, is there?

    For a retun trip to mars, the mass ratio is around 100 parts fuel for 1 part sample return. It scales pretty linearly. It doesn't matter that it spends most time coasting, you have to accelerate it to the same delta-v regardless of the mass.

  7. Everyone knows by nounderscores · · Score: 4, Funny

    The only way to reliably get from earth to phobos is teleporting via hell.

  8. It might be for the best that it failed... by Trilkin · · Score: 2

    First they send probes... then they make a colony researching interdimensional transport... This never works out.

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  9. Recharge batteries with laser by value · · Score: 2

    I wonder if it might be possible to point a laser at the craft's solar panels to recharge its batteries? That is if it has opened its solar panels and they are pointing towards Earth at least some of the time?

    1. Re:Recharge batteries with laser by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I suspect that if the panels have deployed and point at the earth, lack of power will be the least of their concerns. I base this on my experience from having a solar panel on my sailboat, which probably is several orders of magnitude cheaper and less efficient, but still generates 20-30 % of its maximum amps during cloudy days and when the sail and mast is blocking the sun. The light reflected from the earth must be enough to give them the power needed to salvage the spacecraft, if it can be done at all.

  10. Re:Please... by psergiu · · Score: 3, Funny

    The Council of Elders has declared a planet-wide celebration in the light of the latest victory of our special forces team.

    K'breel, speaker for the Council, declared:

    Oh, what a joyous day, our special forces, from their forward base in orbit around the Evil Blue Planet has scored another victory against the enemy. Their plan of sending a mechanized invader on our holly moon Z'treem was foiled - eight of our best warriors have sacrificed themselves and blocked the invader's reactive engine with their bodies, drowning the mechanized monster in their own ichor. Let's forever praise the courage of our warriors.

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  11. Re:more crap by WillDraven · · Score: 4, Informative

    Since we all know they literally burn the money for fuel in the rockets. It doesn't get spent on the components and then keep circulating in the economy or anything. Nope, burned to a cinder, never to be spent again... -sigh-

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  12. foxnews.com -> Goodbye by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    Yeah... ./ shows me that it links to FOX "News". Sorry mate. Ain't gonna fall for that. It's like the Goatse of news. If you like what you see, sonething is wrong with you. ;)

  13. Re:Grunt by JustOK · · Score: 2

    you're making it sound dirty. Please, continue.

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  14. Re:more crap by GameboyRMH · · Score: 3, Funny

    Didn't people the money here instead of orbiting earth?

    No, they accidentally the whole thing.

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  15. Re:more crap by dotancohen · · Score: 2

    Didn't people the money here instead of orbiting earth?

    It seems that your people a verb.

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