klaes@wrksys.dec.com (CUP/ASG, MLO5-2/G1 6A, 223-3283) (07/25/89)
The most likely explanation for the failure of PHOBOS 2 a few
months back was a technical problem - the Soviets are roughly ten
years behind the United States in space technology. PHOBOS 2 had
to make some special images of Mars' largest moon, Phobos, in
preparation for landing some instrument probes on its surface.
There was no separate scan platform for the cameras, so the entire
craft had to turn away towards Phobos, then re-aim its communications
antenna back to Earth to transmit the data.
Well, PHOBOS 2 did turn to image the moon as planned, but it did
not turn back properly. Some faint signals were picked up two hours
after the probe was apparently lost, but Soviet controllers could not
keep the link, and PHOBOS 2 is now lost for good.
There was a photo of an undefined object in one of the images
PHOBOS 2 took, and it is believed to be jettisoned propulsion rockets
PHOBOS 2 used to brake into Mars orbit. It may have hit the probe,
but a technical error with the craft itself is believed to have
been the problem. The Soviet engineers were reported to prefer
the collision explanation, rather than admit to defects in their
own technology.
I know this isn't nearly exciting as the idea of an ancient
civilization on Mars zapping our space probes so as not to detect
their presence (Gee, then why didn't VIKING 1 and 2 get fried, or
all those other successful Mars probes?), but human error is
usually the most likely culprit. If you've ever studied the
history of the Soviet Mars program, you will find that in roughly
twenty launch attempts, only *one* probe, MARS 5, has ever been
fully successful.
And you should also be aware that the press loves a sensational
story, and tends to print first and ask the pertinent questions
later, if at all.
Larry Klaes klaes@renoir.dec.com
or - ...!decwrl!renoir.dec.com!klaes
or - klaes%renoir.dec@decwrl.dec.com
N = R*fgfpneflfifaL
leech@Apple.COM (Jonathan Patrick Leech) (07/25/89)
In article <8907241926.AA08447@decwrl.dec.com> klaes@wrksys.dec.com (CUP/ASG, MLO5-2/G1 6A, 223-3283) writes: > The most likely explanation for the failure of PHOBOS 2 a few > months back was a technical problem - the Soviets are roughly ten > years behind the United States in space technology. More like twenty years - they have Energia. -- Jon Leech (leech@apple.com) Apple Integrated Systems __@/
ralf@b.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Ralf Brown) (07/25/89)
In article <8907241926.AA08447@decwrl.dec.com> klaes@wrksys.dec.com (CUP/ASG, MLO5-2/G1 6A, 223-3283) writes: } months back was a technical problem - the Soviets are roughly ten } years behind the United States in space technology. PHOBOS 2 had Of course, they're about ten years ahead in routine, frequent, short-lead-time access to space.... Comes from not throwing away the current generation of launchers before the next generation has proven itself (or is even built....). When you've used the same booster over a thousand times, you know just how it will behave, and don't have to bring everything to a screeching halt after a malfunction in order to determine whether it's a design flaw. -- {backbone}!cs.cmu.edu!ralf ARPA: RALF@CS.CMU.EDU FIDO: Ralf Brown 1:129/46 BITnet: RALF%CS.CMU.EDU@CMUCCVMA AT&Tnet: (412)268-3053 (school) FAX: ask DISCLAIMER? | [on the next instruc after a disk head seek to track 1,000,000] What's that?| "You have to do a CALL(service repair person)" -- Fred Schneider