Russia says its failed spacecraft may crash into sea off Argentina
Source: Agencies |
January 14, 2012, Saturday
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RUSSIA'S space agency has adjusted its forecast for the crash of a failed spacecraft, saying it may shower its fragments into the south Atlantic.
Roscosmos said the unmanned Phobos-Ground probe could plummet to Earth tomorrow or next Monday anywhere along a broad swath between 51.4 degrees north and 51.4 degrees south.
It said yesterday that the mid-point in the two-day window would have the craft crashing into the ocean about 400 kilometers east of the coast of Chubut province in southern Argentina. It said the precise time and place of the uncontrolled plunge can only be clarified later as the probe draws closer to Earth.
The botched US$165-million mission to retrieve dust from Mars' moon Phobos was junked in orbit after its November launch.
At 14.6 tons, the Phobos-Ground is one of the heaviest pieces of space junk ever to plummet to Earth, with highly toxic fuel accounting for the bulk of its weight.
The failure of the craft was one of a series of mishaps that marred Russian celebration of 50 years since Yuri Gagarin's pioneering first human space flight last year and hurt Moscow's pride.
In an apparent attempt to deflect blame, Russia's space agency chief has hinted at foreign sabotage of its crafts when they passed out of Russian radar range.
"It's unclear why frequent failures of our crafts occur while they are flying on what is for Russia the dark side of Earth," Vladimir Popovkin told the daily Izvestia in an interview published on Tuesday.
"I don't want to blame anyone, but there are very powerful means to interfere with spacecraft today whose use cannot be ruled out."
It is unclear how much of the massive Phobos-Ground craft will survive the fiery plunge through the atmosphere. It carries a full payload of toxic hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide fuel, which experts expect to burn up in orbit, and a tiny cargo of radioactive Cobalt-57.
Small chunks of a Russian communications satellite rained down on towns in Siberia striking the roof of a home situated on Cosmonaut's street after another failed launch on December 23.
Roscosmos said the unmanned Phobos-Ground probe could plummet to Earth tomorrow or next Monday anywhere along a broad swath between 51.4 degrees north and 51.4 degrees south.
It said yesterday that the mid-point in the two-day window would have the craft crashing into the ocean about 400 kilometers east of the coast of Chubut province in southern Argentina. It said the precise time and place of the uncontrolled plunge can only be clarified later as the probe draws closer to Earth.
The botched US$165-million mission to retrieve dust from Mars' moon Phobos was junked in orbit after its November launch.
At 14.6 tons, the Phobos-Ground is one of the heaviest pieces of space junk ever to plummet to Earth, with highly toxic fuel accounting for the bulk of its weight.
The failure of the craft was one of a series of mishaps that marred Russian celebration of 50 years since Yuri Gagarin's pioneering first human space flight last year and hurt Moscow's pride.
In an apparent attempt to deflect blame, Russia's space agency chief has hinted at foreign sabotage of its crafts when they passed out of Russian radar range.
"It's unclear why frequent failures of our crafts occur while they are flying on what is for Russia the dark side of Earth," Vladimir Popovkin told the daily Izvestia in an interview published on Tuesday.
"I don't want to blame anyone, but there are very powerful means to interfere with spacecraft today whose use cannot be ruled out."
It is unclear how much of the massive Phobos-Ground craft will survive the fiery plunge through the atmosphere. It carries a full payload of toxic hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide fuel, which experts expect to burn up in orbit, and a tiny cargo of radioactive Cobalt-57.
Small chunks of a Russian communications satellite rained down on towns in Siberia striking the roof of a home situated on Cosmonaut's street after another failed launch on December 23.
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