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Russian Rocket Crashes In Siberia
An anonymous reader writes: A Russian Proton-M rocket carrying a Mexican satellite broke down shortly after launch and crashed in Siberia. Russian space agency Roscosmos is investigating the incident, but the cause is not yet known. In the video, the rocket appeared to sputter and stop providing thrust when the third-stage engine unexpectedly switched off. Communications were lost with the rocket before that happened. This comes just a couple weeks after Russia experienced another high profile rocket failure when its cargo ship bound for the International Space Station failed to reach a high enough orbit and began spinning out of control. Russia's Proton family of rockets has been in use since the 1960s, though the current Proton-M incarnation was first flown in 2001.
For decades launching these rockets was not a problem for Russia. However, since the Western embargo they had several problems with their rockets on their own launch site, while they had no problem in human space flight and when starting in Kourou, French Guiana. However, the Soyuz-2 used in French Guiana is a completely different rocket than the Proton-M which just had that accident.
The GOP continues to gut funding for development of manned private space launch, but will continue to pour money into the SLS, AND having Russia do the manned launches. Fucking insane
The International Launch Services who operates those Proton rockets is a joint venture between a primary private Russian and an American (i think Lockheed Martin) partner - plus, those Proton rockets have a failure rate about 1 in 10 launches, which is good enough. So i think both the economic and the "patriotic" reasons you mention are covered enough right now. Of course more development is always good, but...
Antisthenes: "Wisdom begins by examining the words/names." - excuse my English, i am (slightly...) better with my Greek!
Actually you'll find that the request for funding for Russian rockets comes from the current administration. Last time I checked, he wasn't a member of the GOP.
It's hypocritical to say you'll sanction Russia for issues in the Ukraine yet lobby congress for money to buy the rockets.
http://www.theblaze.com/storie...
Harrison's Postulate - "For every action there is an equal and opposite criticism"
Why, they have 7 already, one fewer than Norway and and the same number as Denmark. They have the 15th largest GDP in the world, roughly the same as Australia's. The US has 10X the GDP and 200X the number of satellites so we spend a much higher percentage of GDP on satellites. The US has a sense of Mexico being a god awful poor 3rd world country mostly due to it's proximity. We unfavorably compare it directly to our own economy where as other countries further away have more of a 'must be better' mysterious sense.
Sure it's 66th in per capita GDP but that doesn't mean they as a nation they can't afford more modern technologies, particularly now that the cost is so low.
First, A progress using the same rocket as manned launches failed last month. That progress is the same as a Soyuz.
Secondly, all of the companies are suffering from the same problem over there: quality control.
Thirdly, the quality issues started long before the embargo.
Finally, the GOP is putting loads of money into SLS. Why? Because they view NASA as a jobs bill for themselves.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
It goes against every instinct in my body to defend the GOP, but it's a bit unfair to attack the party for "block[ing] private space" when just below this article was another article about Congress making policy to suit the private space industry, mainly on the Republican side: