Phobos-Grunt (Фобос-Грунт) Sample Return Mission

In addition to being the cutest little robotic spacecraft ever designed Phobos-Grunt (Phobos-Soil) is an unmanned lander that will study Phobos and then return a soil sample to Earth. It will also study Mars from orbit, including its atmosphere and dust storms, plasma and radiation. The mission may be propelled by controllable electric jet propulsion due to its capability for smooth changing of the propulsion output parameters along the flight trajectory. Phobos-Grunt is currently scheduled to be launched in October 2009 on a Zenit rocket launcher with a Fregat upper stage. The return vehicle will be back on Earth in 2012. An alternative launch window would be in 2011.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Phobos
• Grunt
• Фобос-Грунт
• Soil
• Mars
• Russian
• Space
• Exploration
• Sample
• Return

[helgahill]

It was supposed to launch in october. Anyone who knows what happened? Where i can find information about this? I can't find anything! This is very exciting.......Anyone?

[spacemooseireland]

Phobos-Grunt (Russian: Фобос-Грунт Fobos-Grunt; "Phobos Soil") is a planned Russian sample return mission to Phobos, one of the moons of Mars. The Chinese Mars orbiter Yinghuo-1 will be sent together with the mission. Scheduled for launch in 2011, Phobos-Grunt will be the first Russian interplanetary mission since the failed Mars 96 mission. If successful, this will be the first extraterrestrial sample from a planetary body brought back to earth since the last one by Luna 24 in 1976.

[bombarderoazul]

Not bad for a little spacecraft!

[mphet26]

If someone need that melody name "Maurice Ravel - Bolero"

[mschribr]

There is talk the continuing problems may delay launch to 2014. The Russian Space Agency uses a small amount of money. But is it enough to get to Mars? The USA spends a lot of money but we had many successful landings on mars since 1976. There were Vikings 1 and 2, Pathfinder, Spirit, Opportunity and Phoenix.

[mateuszlee]

very nice earth-landing system :) simple and I hope succesfull

[Darealwhip]

@MrPolitolog I still do not know why so much complications....What about a good ol Balloon or dirigible type of aircraft surveying the planet The Germans have the Archimedes Mars Balloon but something is happening...

[AVIATIO]

I want to see what will happen with this probe. The last two Phobos-spacecraft were blown out of space by aliens. Who knows what will happen to this new probe!

[MrPolitolog]

However, March 27, 1989 after a television production of Phobos, in which the spacecraft changed its orientation to the guidance of view videospektrometricheskogo complex on Phobos, with her was lost radio contact.

The Soviet Union until his last day was eager to space. Now it is very difficult ...

Thanks for the video and the Bolero! Greetings from Russia!

[MrPolitolog]

Start the first station on 7 July 1988, but on Sept. 1 due to an error of ground operator she was lost.

July 12, 1988 was launched Phobos-2 ". During the 200-day flight on the route Earth-Mars station is the scientific program of experiments to investigate interplanetary space, solar, solar activity, for solar and galactic gamma-ray bursts.

[MrPolitolog]

This is an interesting space project. Automatic interplanetary station "Phobos" was developed in the Soviet Union in the Center behalf Babakin. It was meant as a base for future interplanetary missions. On-board scientific equipment was created with the participation of research teams from Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Ireland, Poland, Finland, France, Switzerland, Sweden, Czechoslovakia, the European Space Agency, the United States.

[LimitingFactor00]

wow, but wouldn't it be better to take it to the space station first.

[Boy75402]

It was supposed to, however the decided to delay the mission two years to continue testing software. Also, they found that the sampler head doesn't work on Phobos (instead of shoving it into the ground, it lifts the lander up due to the weak gravity).

They will fix and test everything and launch in 2011.