Phobos-Grunt/Yinghuo-1

[Dr Mordrid]

After a 10 month trip the main propulsion unit (MDU - bottom) and the transfer truss (middle) will separate and the Chinese-made Yinghuo-1 orbiter (top) will be released for a 2 year mission.

Phobos-Grunt will then spend several months studying Mars, Phobos and Deimos before landing on Phobos. There it will spend ~7 days collecting about 0.2 kg of samples, then a return module will bring the samples back to Earth. If communications fail it will return them autonomously.

This is a pretty important mission as several manned Mars mission plans start by first setting up a base on Phobos, then using ISRU (in-situ resource utilization) there to make fuel for the landing and return to Earth. ISRU on Mars would fuel the return to Phobos.

Launch!


Phobos-Grunt/Yinghuo-1

[Dr Mordrid]

Bad news -

It looks like the Mars transfer burn from the parking orbit failed, and the Russian primary & US secondary flight computers appear to be in safe-mode. Telemetry is iffy, and sun orientation for power is uncertain. Dunno how long the batteries are good for without solar power.

If things don't change soon it could be another failed Russian mission.

[Dr Mordrid]

DSN = deep space network, a worldwide network of dish antennae/radars.

If Roscosmos asks for help the DSN will have to wait for the next orbit to get any data. DSN was contracted to cover only the first two burns plus TMI (Trans Mars Insertion). Since the burns did not happen, they would have to declare an IMC (International Mission Contingency) with a request for all available antennas to join the party.

EDIT:

Russian Space Agency director Vladimir Popovkin says it's possible that the spacecraft wasn't able to reorient itself from the Sun to star guidance. Given that, it's possible the MDU never received the necessary commands to start the burns. Fortunately, none of the disposable tanks were jettisoned so no fuel was lost. This contingency was looked at during mission planning, so recovery may still be possible.

They're going to try reprogramming the spacecraft, but the batteries will only last 3 days.

[Dr Mordrid]

While they're still trying the Russian mission controllers have lost contact with Phobos-Grunt.

U.S. Strategic Command predicts a Phobos-Grunt re-entry around November 26. Russia will try to send a command to (hopefully) vent the toxic hypergolic fuels into space - if Phobos-Grunt is listening. At this point that's a big if.

NASA's Doug McCuistion was asked at a press briefing if NASA was helping. His reply:

"We have offered assistance and if they need it we will provide it to the best of our ability. That's a different organization from ours. I am not sure if they have asked for such assistance, but we have offered it."

[Dr Mordrid]

P-G crossed ISS's trajectory today @4:00 AM GMT, though at a different altitude. ISS crewmembers were given coordinates for telephoto opportunities, but it's unknown yet if photos were successfully taken.

[Dr Mordrid]

It's Alive! (well, maybe)

http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEM4NEZW5VG_index_0.html

Perth picked up a signal, but 2-way comms are yet to be established.

[MultimediaMan]

The batteries will be sacked in a day or two.... the solar panels have not been deployed (which is what they are trying to do first); they still don't know the physical situation of the craft.

[Dr Mordrid]

Main bus computer OK so far

Propulsion module was first to establish comms, still analyzing the system.

Solar deployed.

Power problem is a charge/discharge cycle caused by it still being in orbit instead of in free space - the Earth's shadow being the problem - and the rechargeable battery hasn't been engaged yet. Engaging the rechargeable battery is now a priority. When in shadow the computer goes to sleep due to low power, and Russia was trying to transmit during night overflights. ESA/Perth transmitted during daylight passes. Another problem was that P-G's receiver was set up for receiving weak signals in deep space and not strong ones. Perth modified their dish to transmit a weaker signal and it worked.

Still trying to figure out why the trans-Mars injection burn didn't happen, and bench work continues as to why the star tracker wigged out

If they can re-establish control alternate missions are being explored, including a Mars flyby of the main satellite with a Deimos landing for Yinghuo-1. Other possibilities are asteroids or the Moon. The limiting factor is remaining fuel load vs. how much delta-v is needed.

If all else fails re-entry happens from mid-January on.

[Dr Mordrid]

Russia's President Medvedev is threatening prosecutions -

http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE7AP0FI20111126

As they say, the floggings will continue until morale improves

[Dr Mordrid]

"It's dead, Jim"

The European Space Agency is shutting down their attempts to monitor Phobos-Grunt, and rumors are that the Russian Space Agency will announce its failure within the next couple of weeks.

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Operations/SEMNEO2XFVG_0.html

2 December 2011

In consultation and agreement with Phobos-Grunt mission managers, ESA engineers will end tracking support today. Efforts in the past week to send commands to and receive data from the Russian Mars mission via ESA ground stations have not succeeded; no response has been seen from the satellite. ESA teams remain available to assist the Phobos-Grunt mission if indicated by any change in the situation.