Launch News (Failure) Phobos-Grunt and YingHuo-1 atop Zenit-2 on November 8/9, 2011

[fausto]

One question: where can i see Phobos-grunt launch liv on the web?

 

[orb]

One question: where can i see Phobos-grunt launch liv on the web?

For example there: http://www.tsenki.com/en/broadcast/

 

[orb]

Universe Today: Phobos-Grunt and Yinghuo-1 Encapsulated for Voyage to Mars and Phobos


Zenit-2SB with Phobos-Grunt will be moved to the pad Nov. 6 at 8:00 a.m. Moscow time (source).

 

[RGClark]

Universe Today: Russia Fuels Phobos-Grunt and sets Mars Launch for November 9

An exciting mission. I hope it is successful.


Bob Clark

 

[fausto]

For example there: http://www.tsenki.com/en/broadcast/

Thank you very much!

 

[orb]

Parabolic Arc: Russia’s Ambitious Phobos-Grunt Mission Set to Launch on Wednesday

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

A brief introduction on Yinghuo-1

And now with the launch just two days away, let me introduce the Chinese companion to Phobos-Grunt: the 100kg class Mars orbiter Yinghuo-1.

• Spacecraft name
  
  Yinghuo-1 (Mandarin: Firefly-1)
  
  [*]Origins of the name
  
  1. The spacecraft is very small for a Mars orbiter (it weights just over 100 kilograms!), thus it is the "firefly" of all the Mars orbiters
  
  2. Firefly in Chinese rhymes with the old Chinese name for Mars (which can be roughly translated as the "bright wanderer")
  
  [*]Size
  
  75 cm X 75 cm X 60 cm (length 6.85 meters with solar arrays deployed)
  
  [*]Mass
  
  115 kilograms
  
  [*]Planned working orbit
  
  Periapsis: 800 km
  Apoapsis: 80000 km
  Inclination: 5°
  
  [*]Power supply
  
  3-axis stabilised, 2×3 section solar array with a full-extended length of 5.6 metres (18 ft), providing average power of 90 W, and peak power of 180 W.
  
  [*]Communications
  
  High Gain Antenna: 950 mm antenna dish (S-band) with a 12 W transmitter in two frequencies (8.4 and 7.17 GHz) and a data rate between 8 bps and 16 kbps.
  Low Gain Antenna: 80 bit/s data rate.
  
  [*]Science instruments
  
  1. Plasma detection package
  
  The package includes two ion analyzers, an electron analyzer and a mass spectrometer. The whole package can detect particles with energies between 20 and 10000 electron volts, and could determine the direction the particles come from within an accuracy of 15 degrees. The time the particles hit the counters can be measured to within 8 seconds. This instrument can supplement the measurements of the amount of ions (such as the hydrogen and oxygen cations) by other Mars orbiters.
  
  2. Fluxgate magnetometer
  
  This instrument will measure the magnetosphere around Mars made by Mars' weak magnetic field, and will add to the observation of the interaction of the magnetosphere of Mars with the solar wind. This magnetometer can measure the magnetic field in Mars orbit down to an accuracy of 0.01 nano-Tesla (much less than the magnetic field from a bar magnet).
  
  3. Radio-occultation sounder
  
  YH-1 will participate in a radio-occultation experiment with the Phobos-Grunt spacecraft to measure the ionic density in Mars' upper atmosphere and its effect on the radiation received and the global climate (e.g. the formation of dust storms on Mars). This radio-occultation sounder will receive two signals from the Phobos-Grunt spacecraft (at 416.5 MHz and 833 MHz), with a sensibility of -145 dBm and the accuracy of determining the radio wave's phase shift is 0.2m.
  
  4. Optical cameras
  
  YH-1 will carry two cameras with at least 4 million pixels and a minimum signal-to-noise-ratio of 30 dB for imaging the Mars surface and its two satellites (I believe it will attempt to map the far side of Deimos with the highest resolution ever). The cameras should be able to resolve objects down to 0.5 meters at periapsis (its capabilities are obviously limited, but then we are talking about a tiny Mars orbiter!).
  
  [*]Science and technological objectives
  
  S1. To measure Mars' magnetic field, ionosphere and particle variations around Mars orbit.
  
  S2. To determine the rate of escape of ions from the Mars atmosphere.
  
  S3. Study the general geology and dust storms on Mars.
  
  S4. Probe Mars' gravitational field density.
  
  T1. Test China's ability in tracking, communicating and controlling spacecrafts in planetary space.
  
  T2. Test China's capability in making spacecrafts that could withstand extremely cold conditions with limited thermal protection (and the ability to restart after "sleeping" for more than a year in space).
  

(you can see that YH-1 is stowed between the Phobos-Grunt spacecraft and the Fregat cruise stage before separating in Mars orbit in October 2012)

(YH-1 is the small spacecraft on the right side)

(YH-1 is the small spacecraft on the right side)

P.S. Even my hometown, Hong Kong, has a role on the upcoming mission: several researchers at the [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hong_Kong_Polytechnic_University"]Hong Kong Polytechnic University[/ame] has produced a soil grinder (weighting at 400 grams) for use on the robotic arm of Phobos-Grunt. This little grinder would assist in the preparation of soil samples for further testing inside the spacecraft. (Or is that old news? I can't find any Russian/English sources on this grinder for the last two years.) I hope that this mission could be a total success: it has been too long since the Russians did a completely successful planetary mission (Vega-1/2 I think?), and good luck to the Chinese for using their little Mars orbiter!

 

[SiberianTiger]

Hi-Res pictures of rolling out and erection are posted at the mission photo gallery.

It's beautiful.

 

[Cosmic Penguin]

Hi-Res pictures of rolling out and erection are posted at the mission photo gallery.

It's beautiful.

 

[orb]

Universe Today: Awesome Action Animation Depicts Russia’s Bold Robot Retriever to Mars moon Phobos

 

[orb]

Parabolic Arc: The Space Review: The Russians Take Aim at Phobos

The Space Review: Will Russia end its curse at Mars?

 

[orb]

RIA Novosti: Russian Martian moon mission to help clarify Red Planet’s mysteries

Universe Today: Russian Mars Moon Sample Probe Poised to Soar atop Upgraded Rocket

Spaceflight Now: Spaceflight Now Live Coverage

SPACE.com: Russia Launching Probe to Sample Mars' Moon Phobos Today

Spaceflight Now: Russia to restart planetary exploration with Mars probe

 

[SiberianTiger]

Updated the 1st post with launch related information. Will also add description of the spacecraft scientific instrumentation as soon as possible.

Now, when the launch time is nearing, I'm feeling breethless...

 

[Codz]

Updated the 1st post with launch related information. Will also add description of the spacecraft scientific instrumentation as soon as possible.

Now, when the launch time is nearing, I'm feeling breethless...

Extremely exciting launch! Looks like it's finally going up.

 

[orb]

NASASpaceflight: LIVE: Zenit-2 set to launch Fobos-Grunt sample return mission to Phobos

T-16 minutes.

 

[SiberianTiger]

The narrator girl just said: "This is not a first intergalactic mission for a Zenit rocket"
:lol:

 

[Fabri91]

It's an ambitious mission for sure, but not THAT ambitious!

 

[SiberianTiger]

Working TSENKI link:
http://www.tv-tsenki.com/live6.php

 

[SiberianTiger]

Support mast is lowered. T-6

 

[Codz]

Whats with the beating in the background?