The Russian spacecraft Progress M-27M, which attempted to deliver cargo to the International Space Station (ISS), faces fiery death on Friday:
A Russian spacecraft that has been out of control since launching last week will fall back to Earth and burn up on Friday, scientists say. The unmanned cargo ship was launched from Kazakhstan last Tuesday, but contact was lost with it soon afterwards. The spacecraft, carrying three tonnes of equipment, will disintegrate as it enters Earth's atmosphere.
The craft was spotted by the ISS days ago. This was the 150th launch of a Progress craft.
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Russian space boffins have lost control of a Progress cargo capsule which had been due to deliver 6,000lb of supplies to the International Space Station. The crazy podule is spinning and tumbling in orbit above the Earth as controllers try to establish contact with it.
The Progress 59 space-mule lifted off flawlessly from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 0309 EDT (0109 local time) today, and was scheduled to rendezvous with the ISS on Thursday. But shortly after takeoff the spacecraft's telemetry started failing, and the cargo pod is now not accepting navigation commands.
"The Russian flight control team attempted to command the vehicle over four orbits flying over Russian ground sites with no success," said NASA in a blog post. ( https://blogs.nasa.gov/spacestation/2015/04/29/progress-59-cargo-craft-updates/ )
"The next series of ground station passes is expected to resume late Tuesday evening. Teams are standing down on the Thursday docking attempt while Russian teams continue to analyze data and develop a troubleshooting plan going forward."
The blunder appear to stem from improperly deployed navigational antennas, and problems with the pressurization of the manifolds in the propulsion system. The Progress capsule is still in a low orbit, and doesn't pose a direct threat to the ISS.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/04/28/russian_iss_cargo_out_of_control/
The Russian space agency Roscosmos has been abolished following the recent failure of a Progress M-27M spacecraft and the $1.8 billion (92 billion rubles) of financial violations committed during 2014. Auditors found "violations included inefficient use of funds, misuse of appropriated funds, and violations in fiscal reporting methods." The agency's budget had already been cut by 35 percent in March. The Moscow Times reports:
Asked why Golikova had singled out Roscosmos if violations are rampant throughout the government, Pavel Luzin, a space industry analyst at Perm State University, said "the government needs to explain the current bad situation with the space industry and space program."
Despite numerous efforts to reform the space industry since a long streak of crashes and high-profile failures began in 2010, Russian rockets continue to explode and officials are at a loss as to how to fix the space industry's problems.
But while corruption in the space industry hinders effective reform, Luzin said the Audit Chamber's report does not necessarily mean that Roscosmos has stolen 92 billion rubles.
"Violations just mean disorder, because the Russian flow of documents is very intricate and it is impossible to keep all of them in order. Sure, some shady deals are possible, and moreover they take place, but it doesn't mean that all of the 92 billion rubles have been stolen. That's impossible," Luzin said.
The space agency will be replaced by a state corporation, also called Roscosmos. Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin told a talk show that "It will take maybe another two to three years to intensively technically re-equip the rocket and space industry." He warned last week that Russia could lose its 40% share of the global commercial satellite launch market to firms such as SpaceX if reforms do not succeed.
[Editor's Comment: Original Submission]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 08 2015, @02:08AM
Out-of-Control Russian Spacecraft Set to BURN UP on FRIDAY!
(Score: 3, Funny) by GreatAuntAnesthesia on Friday May 08 2015, @10:35AM
I think you mean "NORAH, GET MAH GUN, THEM DAMN RUSKIES IS FIRING SPACESHIPS AT US! I TOL' YOU BACK IN '86 THEY CAIN'T BE TRUSTED."
Caps filter caps filter caps filter caps filter caps filter caps filter caps filter caps filter caps filter caps filter caps filter caps filter caps filter caps filter caps filter caps filter.
(Score: 5, Informative) by frojack on Friday May 08 2015, @02:28AM
According to this tracking page http://www.satflare.com/track.asp?q=40619#TOP [satflare.com] its already reentered over Tiara Del Fuego about 5 minutes before I posted this.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1) by deadstick on Friday May 08 2015, @02:00PM
Tiara Del Fuego
Is that what Miss Spain wears in the Miss Universe pageant?
(Score: 2) by frojack on Friday May 08 2015, @08:40PM
I save my best spelling for people that pay me. :P
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.
(Score: 1, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 08 2015, @02:31AM
For whoever can catch it! Don't forget to die trying!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 08 2015, @08:02PM
"whomever"
(Score: 3, Insightful) by anubi on Friday May 08 2015, @02:31AM
The Russians have put a lot of work into this.
Just sad to see this happen.
That was 6,000 pounds of food and supplies that was sent at great expense.
I am sure the ISS could have sure used it. Stuff isn't easy to find up there in orbit. Its not like a quickie trip to the grocery store for a snack, or Home Depot for a fastener.
Sad.
Just hope you found out what went wrong.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 0, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 08 2015, @02:39AM
There are starving people here on Earth who could have eaten that food, you insensitive clod.
(Score: 1) by anubi on Friday May 08 2015, @04:02AM
That's what makes it so sad.
A lot of people worked very hard to make this. Nobody got to use it.
Just because something went wrong.
If it were within my power to de-orbit it to land it where someone could use it, I would do so, but I am condemned like the rest of us to helplessly watch it burn up on re-entry.
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Friday May 08 2015, @02:40AM
That craft poses a hazard to the world! We should shoot it down in flames! Oh - wait . . . it's shooting itself down in flames. Never mind.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 08 2015, @02:45AM
Why? It's not full of Muslims.
(Score: 2) by DECbot on Friday May 08 2015, @04:41AM
We should shoot it down in flames! Oh - wait . . . it's shooting itself down in flames.
Why wait? Be like the Chinese and demonstrate that you can blow up dying satellites. With enough space junk, you can protect space from evil space terrorists.
cats~$ sudo chown -R us /home/base
(Score: 4, Informative) by Hartree on Friday May 08 2015, @03:39AM
Roscosmos says it came down over the Pacific at 2:04 GMT.
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-050715a-progress-m27m-reentry.html [collectspace.com]
(Score: 1) by anubi on Friday May 08 2015, @08:19AM
Quite an informative link, Hartree.
The article brought up another tidbit I did not know about. The residents of the space station pack the delivery spacecraft with trash and send it back to deliberately burn up in Earth's atmosphere. I know what it is like around my house when I need to dump trash... they can't simply open the back door and chuck it over the fence. Can't open the windows for some fresh air either. And now having to "ration use of the toilet"? I guess that means passing the bag around for everyone's contribution.
Geez, I feel for these guys....
"Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 08 2015, @07:33AM
Wouldn't it have been shorter to just write Putin?
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 08 2015, @11:20AM
Out of Western control, maybe, but Vladimir Vladimirovich is very much in control of himself.
(Score: 1) by Drake_Edgewater on Friday May 08 2015, @05:13PM
Chilean people must be really pissed off. First the mudflows [wikipedia.org] at the driest desert on Earth, then two [reuters.com] volcanoes [bbc.com] erupt, and now a fireball from space almost fell over them. All in 2015.
I heard that they blame president Michelle Bachelet for all natural disasters.