[sci.astro] The Soviet PHOBOS 2 Mars probe.

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
    
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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.
-- 
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