Russian Space Program: News & Discussion #1

kvs wrote:

PapaDragon wrote:
Sitting on their asses for decades and now they want a slice?  

Russian Defense Ministry: rocket "Soyuz-5" may be an alternative, "Angara"

The development of "Soyuz-5" is leading the company on its own initiative ", he said on Friday Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov, during his visit to the rocket-space center" Progress ".

http://ria.ru/space/20150717/1134206828.html

http://www.russianspaceweb.com/soyuz5.html

Interesting, LNG fuel instead of kerosene.    I think they should build the single stage version regardless.   Russia can afford more than
one rocket design.

Im wondering if the builders of SOyuz-5 are the same of Angara.. or they are competition...?
even though the space industry was united , i think the managers /team on each rocket is not the same.. If that is the case.. That Soyuz designers compete with Angara designers , then thats positive.. Competition and need is what motivates innovation.

I want to see however the Space Shuttle revived again.. or a brand new one , that could travel to the moon and return.. and people land not in parachutes from space..but just any plane does. That will be impressive.. a Space Shuttle that can do all , ISS ,the Moon and Mars ,and return to earth landing like any plane will do.

Rmf wrote:billions are spent on vostochny , you cant have new launch center with all added people and production , and new interplanetary satelites.

No matter how you slice it, Vostochny is necessary.  Russia cannot rely on access to Baikonur, even if relations with the Kazahs are currently warm (doG forbid it could ever happen, but a Maidan in Kazakhstan would be a catastrophe...).  The new cosmodrome is a sunk cost, and once its up and running and minor controversies fade (like construction delays and shonky contractors cheating their labour force), the value of the facility will become clear.

The NH recon of the Pluto system (hearty congrats to NASA BTW!) essentially closes the chapter of the early phase of Solar system exploration (with the exception of newly discovered TNOs like Eris) but there are PLENTY of other exciting missions:

1- A network of penetrators across Mars c/w imaging, seismographs and meterology (MetNet).  This would be an awesome project.  Curiosity rover is impressive, but 1-2 dozen lander stations deployed simultaneously in difficult to land locations like the bottom of Vallis Marinaris or the crater of Olympus Mons? Now that would give bragging rights!
2- Long lived surface landers on Venus - develop SiC based electronics (and imaging systems?) that can operate at 450 deg C ambient and deploy a Met-Net style network of penetrators across the planet
3- Sample returns from asteroids and the moons of Mars.  There are many DECADES of work here alone.
4- Titan orbiter for near-IR and SAR mapping
5- Titan rover My personal favorite!!!!  Titan is simply.....  amazing....
6- Titan lake explorer - RTG powered motor-boat with cameras, chromatograph, sonar sounder and side-scan imager, under"water" imager...  maybe even a fishing rod and a 6-pack of beer....
7- Io lander and volcano explorer - no idea how you make this work given the horrendous radiation environment that would kill an unprotected human in about 5 seconds flat, but a surface lander/rover taking images of Pelee erupting would be breathtaking...
8- Europa orbiter with deep subsurface radar sounder for mapping the sub-crustal ocean that is believed to exist.  (personally, I think the the idea of drilling down to any Europan ocean is pie-in-the-sky, so i don't include it)
9- ditto 8- for Ganymede and Callisto
10- Enceladus explorer to study the southern polar region, its plumes and sub-surface geology
11- Jupiter/Saturn atmosphere probes.  Galileo dropped a package into Jupiter but it hit a gap in the clouds and only sensed clear "air" for its entire trajectory.  
12- Uranus orbiter and atmospheric probe(s), probably with a specialised super-low light-level camera for imaging the dark sides of the Uranian regular moons using only star-light (next equinox is ~2050)
13- Neptune orbiter and atmospheric probe(s) c/w Triton lander and atmosphere sampler
14- Return to Pluto with an RTG-powered ion-engine equipped orbiter and lander package.
15- Grand tour of TNOs including Eris

NASA deserve the accolades for a long history of highly successful planetary probes and missions of extremely high difficulty (don't hate NASA because US ruling elite are warmogering c*nts), but there is plenty more to do

Interesting video.. And uploaded by some more cool heads at NASA.
The next Soyuz crew in preparations for next ISS flight.

Soyuz Failed Solar Panel Opens During Docking With ISS - Roscosmos

So overall, the operation was successful, but initially, one of the solar panel arrays failed to open, to open later when it docked with ISS.  But I suppose they place two onboard (or more) as one is backup.  The backup worked and so it provided the power needed for the spacecraft.

With Roscosmos being an entity now of combined facilities/manufacturing capabilities, it is very important to note that there is a lot of work to be done to make sure there is much better QC.

New manned spacecraft to land on the territory of Russia
Russia’s new generation manned spacecraft, returning from space flight will land on Russian territory, and not in Kazakhstan, as the Soyuz spaceship, a rocket and space industry source told TASS on Wednesday.

“Two landing areas – the Saratov and Orenburg regions, have been determined for the newest spacecraft that is developed by the Energia Rocket and Space Corporation,” he said.

The spaceship will land in these areas if it is launched from the Vostochny cosmodrome currently under construction in Russia’s Far Eastern Amur region. There are no other launch sites for the spacecraft so far, he added.

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=123593

Space Co-Operation Agreement Between India and Russia
India and Russia pursue joint programmes in a few areas of space research. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS) have signed a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on expansion of cooperation in the field of the exploration and use of outer space for peaceful purposes.

There is no transfer of space technology envisaged under this MoU.

This new MoU provides scope for developing joint activities in areas of mutual interest, including satellite navigation; launch vehicle development; critical technologies for human spaceflight programme; remote sensing of Earth; space science and planetary exploration; and use of ground space infrastructure. Specific cooperation proposals for further processing are also included in the MoU.

Anybody know if there any more specifics of this agreement re: joint launch vehicle development?

Russian Space Agency endorses schedule of space launches for September-October

The schedule was revied to to the abortive launch of a Progress M-27M cargo spaceship in late April

MOSCOW, July 28. /TASS/. Russia’s Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos) has endorsed a schedule of further launches from the Baikonur Space Centre to the International Space Station (ISS) starting with a blastoff of a manned Soyuz in early September, Roscosmos said in a release on Tuesday.

"Launches of Soyuz carrier rockets under the ISS programme are planned as follows: a Soyuz TMA-18M piloted transport spaceship - on September 2, 2015; a Progress M-29M cargo ship - on October 1, 2015," the document says.

Apart from that, it is planned to blast off a Soyuz-ST carrier rocket with Galileo European navigation satellites - FM05 (Alba) and FM06 (Oriana) - on September 11 from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.

Originally, the Soyuz TMA-18M launch was planned for September 1, and the Progress launch was planned for September 21.

Roscosmos had to review the schedule of launches after an abortive launch of a Progress M-27M cargo spaceship in late April. The spaceship then failed to reach a designated orbit and burnt down in dense atmosphere in early May. The next Russian Progress (Progress M-28M) was launched to the International Space Station on July 3. It was followed by the manned Soyuz TMA-17M on July 23, which took an international crew of three to the ISS.

Russian Cosmonauts to Perform Extravehicular Acvitity on August 10

Cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Mikhail Kornienko will polish the windows of the ISS on the outside.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Extravehicular activity by two Russian cosmonauts on the International Space Station (ISS) program is scheduled for August 10, a Mission Control Center spokesperson said Thursday.

"The extravehicular activity according to the Russian program is scheduled for August 10. The exit is planned for 17:14 Moscow time [14:14 GMT] and it will end at 23:48," the spokesperson told RIA Novosti.

According to earlier information, cosmonauts Gennady Padalka and Mikhail Kornienko will polish the windows of the ISS on the outside.

The date of the extracurricular activity has been changed several times following the failure of an earlier Progress M-27M spacecraft. A subsequent Russian Progress-M28M cargo spacecraft delivered the necessary supplies July 5.

In April, the previous spacecraft burned in the Earth's atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean after an improper separation from the Soyuz carrier rocket, caused by fuel leaks

Read more: http://sputniknews.com/science/20150730/1025211415.html#ixzz3hQTSWw94

Former Russian Presidential Adviser Named Roscosmos Deputy Chief - Reports

The former adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin was appointed deputy chief of the Russian Federal Space Agency Roscosmos of government communications, local media reported Wednesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The Izvestia publication cites sources in the state-owned agency as saying a decision to appoint Sergei Dubik takes effect immediately.

Putin signed an executive order relieving Dubik, who has served as one of 10 presidential advisers since 2012, of his duties in February 2015.

Previously, Dubik headed a government anti-corruption commission in 2010 and became an Austria-based International Anti-Corruption Academy board member in late 2012.

In 2009-2012, Dubik headed the Presidential Civil Service and Personnel Directorate.

Nice

New Russian space freighter will go into orbit in 2021

Something big is in the pipeline

Sarov nuclear center will help to create the Russian missiles

https://mipt.ru/news/fiziki-mfti-reshili-zadachu-po-kapelnomu-okhlazhdeniyu



Researchers at the Moscow Physics and Mechanics Institute have demonstrated that a drop spray cooling
system for nuclear rocket engines in space is feasible. The coolant is allowed to expand in a "shower" of
drops whereby it radiates IR more effectively (there is no conduction and convection heat transfer in space).

"Протон" выполнил свою миссию: британский спутник достиг геостационарной орбиты
Russian Proton send the British satellite reached geostationary orbit
Published on Aug 29, 2015

"Proton" fulfilled his mission: the British satellite reached geostationary orbit telecommunications satellite "Inmarsat-5F3" was released into geostationary orbit, according to Roscosmos. "Telecommunications satellite" Inmarsat-5F3 "at the estimated time reached geostationary orbit. The launch can be considered successful", - said the representative of the agency.

Russia help the british satlite

Russia, China Discuss Joint Development of Mobile Satellite Communications

RTI Systems Concern and China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC) discussed possible joint projects on the development of mobile satellite communications at the international MAKS-2015 air show in Russia, Svetlana Afanasyeva, the concern's deputy general director, said Monday.

"At MAKS, we held negotiations with CASIC, which represented China's aerospace industry… Joint projects on the development of mobile satellite communications and the creation of space segments of broadband internet were discussed," Afanasyeva told RIA Novosti.

Interesting, competitiveness vs. EU/US satcom is rather a rising issue, given the amount of stuff that depends on that now & in future.
Mil-wise, of course the rise of UAVs depends on satcom alot, as well as just about every other branch,
and then there is the issue of EU/US security state cooptation of their corporate owned civilian communications providers.

I didn't see it discussed here, but the OneWeb consortium's plan for global broadband
via mega-fleet of low-orbit cheap replaceable sats seems relevant to this RU/CHI deal...
Clearly their aim is to provide internet services GLOBALLY, all routed thru their system under US aegis of course.
Providing an economic alternative to that seems highly strategic.
(OneWeb itself is interesting, in that EADS, created as EU "champion" and vehicle for EU "sovereignty"
has agreed to locate their newest cutting edge factory inside the US, for no apparent reason other than the US would like it to,
and potentially, US military contracts, despite EU satcom providers are currently selling commercial satcom to US military as-is)

Gazprom in space: Russian gas giant to produce satellites

Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft makes manoeuvre to avoid collision with space junk

A fragment of the spent third stage of a Japanese carrier rocket, launched in 1989, happened to be on the spacecraft’s flight path, Russia’s space agency said

MOSCOW, September 3. /TASS/. Russia’s Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft that is on a journey to the International Space Station (ISS) has made a manoeuvre to avoid a collision with a fragment of a Japanese carrier rocket, Russia’s Federal Space Agency Roscosmos told TASS on Thursday.

"A fragment of the spent third stage of a Japanese carrier rocket, launched in 1989, happened to be on the spacecraft’s flight path. Ballisticians of the Russian mission control and their American colleagues worked jointly to prevent a collision," Roscosmos said.

According to the agency, the manoeuvre was conducted at 08:40, Moscow time. "The manoeuvre ensured absolutely safe avoidance of a collision with the object expected to approach at 11:30 - 11:40, Moscow time. The Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft continues its nominal flight to the ISS," Roscosmos reported.

The spacecraft is to dock to the ISS on September 4 at 10:35, Moscow time. The Soyuz carrying Sergei Volkov, Andreas Mogensen and Aidyn Aimbetov blasted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 07:47, Moscow time (03:47 GMT) on Wednesday. Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov has been into space before, European Space Agency (ESA) flight engineer Andreas Mogensen of Denmark and Kazakhstan’s cosmonaut Aidyn Aimbetov, who was added to the mission after British singer and would-be space tourist Sarah Brightman dropped out of training earlier this year, are first-timers.

Initially, the vessel's journey to the orbiting outpost was expected to take no more than six hours, but for security reasons, mission controllers opted to change the flight plan and extend the journey to two days instead of the originally planned six hours.

The current crew of the International Space Station comprises station commander Gennady Padalka and his two Soyuz TMA-16M crewmates U.S. Scott Kelly and Russia’s Mikhail Korniyenko, launched to the station last March 27; and Soyuz TMA-17 crew members Oleg Kononenko, Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren, who arrived at the lab complex July 22. Together, the six astronauts and cosmonauts make up the Expedition 44 crew.

Padalka will turn over command of the station to Kelly, marking the end of Expedition 44 and the beginning of Expedition 4, and will return to Earth on September 12 aboard the TMA-16M spacecraft with Mogensen and Aimbetov. Volkov will remain aboard the station as a long-duration crew member, joining Kelly and Kornienko aboard the TMA-18M spacecraft for the return to Earth next March.

George1 wrote:Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft makes manoeuvre to avoid collision with space junk

A fragment of the spent third stage of a Japanese carrier rocket, launched in 1989, happened to be on the spacecraft’s flight path, Russia’s space agency said

MOSCOW, September 3. /TASS/. Russia’s Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft that is on a journey to the International Space Station (ISS) has made a manoeuvre to avoid a collision with a fragment of a Japanese carrier rocket, Russia’s Federal Space Agency Roscosmos told TASS on Thursday.

"A fragment of the spent third stage of a Japanese carrier rocket, launched in 1989, happened to be on the spacecraft’s flight path. Ballisticians of the Russian mission control and their American colleagues worked jointly to prevent a collision," Roscosmos said.

Funny how Japan's government was warning its people to stay indoors when Mir was being deorbited. As if there was any chance of any
debris landing on Japan. But the clowns couldn't miss the chance to take a piss on Russia. But here we have a real hazard left behind
by mighty, pure and superior Japan.

kvs wrote:

George1 wrote:Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft makes manoeuvre to avoid collision with space junk

A fragment of the spent third stage of a Japanese carrier rocket, launched in 1989, happened to be on the spacecraft’s flight path, Russia’s space agency said

MOSCOW, September 3. /TASS/. Russia’s Soyuz TMA-18M spacecraft that is on a journey to the International Space Station (ISS) has made a manoeuvre to avoid a collision with a fragment of a Japanese carrier rocket, Russia’s Federal Space Agency Roscosmos told TASS on Thursday.

"A fragment of the spent third stage of a Japanese carrier rocket, launched in 1989, happened to be on the spacecraft’s flight path. Ballisticians of the Russian mission control and their American colleagues worked jointly to prevent a collision," Roscosmos said.

Funny how Japan's government was warning its people to stay indoors when Mir was being deorbited.   As if there was any chance of any
debris landing on Japan.   But the clowns couldn't miss the chance to take a piss on Russia.   But here we have a real hazard left behind
by mighty, pure and superior Japan.

How do you know there wasn't?

I don't recall Japan claiming itself to be pure and superior. They are quite humble as far as nations go.