Russia seems to have lost contact with its first lunar probe in half a century
- Thread starter JournalBot
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If Russia's DSN is confined to Russia, it would limit lunar visibility – but not so much due to latitude as highlighted in Tilley's tweets, but simple longitude limits. From 50° N., the Moon's altitude currently peaks around 40° and exceeds 30° above the horizon for ~6 hours/day. Multiple in-country stations in the East and West should provide Russia with pretty wide comm windows.
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Not unlike the U.S., to achieve its wildest scientific and engineering ambitions, Russia need only tax some oligarchs. All human endeavor boils down to allocation of resources, i.e. economics, and somehow the question is always "But who will bell the fat cat?"
Before every endeavor we whine "But who's going to pay for this?" After, we scream "Who can we burn at the stake for our failure to invest sufficient resources?"
Today, I am grateful not to be a high level official at Roscosmos.
Before every endeavor we whine "But who's going to pay for this?" After, we scream "Who can we burn at the stake for our failure to invest sufficient resources?"
Today, I am grateful not to be a high level official at Roscosmos.
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IncorrigibleTroll
Ars Tribunus Angusticlavius
The potato they requisitioned was plenty big enough, but half got stolen to ferment and distill.
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Either:
1) They used ancient Luna 24 tech (~50 years old) built back when they could actually make things, and were hoping it still worked.
2) They tried making new stuff, and were hoping it magically worked - good luck with that in Pooty Poot's kleptocracy.
1) They used ancient Luna 24 tech (~50 years old) built back when they could actually make things, and were hoping it still worked.
2) They tried making new stuff, and were hoping it magically worked - good luck with that in Pooty Poot's kleptocracy.
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Shit, with all the suicide drones buzzing around Moscow, I wouldn't either if I was him lol
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Sadly, the missile sent towards Chernihiv hit its target and successfully killed wounded 100 civilians including children. Death toll rising. If only that one was as faulty as Luna-25.
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Heart of Dawn
Ars Scholae Palatinae
Especially when they spend the rest of it on a senseless, atrocious, wasteful, and completely unwinnable war.
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I just... this comment is awesome.
Also, it's a sad thing to say, but I'm also glad to see Russia failing just that much more.
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They also have a comm ship in the Pacific, so more like 24 hours.
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For those who made a negative comment about Russia, the Russian space program, the Russian invasion of a free country, you all have earned an upvote. The others? You've earned my downvote.
Russia is evil and the rest of the free world should collectively eject them from current and future participation in the ISS. Kick them off and absolutely no funds for space-based programs go to them from this moment forward.
Russia, Putin, they are evil. Screw Russia.
Edit: It crashed into the moon.
Screw Russia. They spent money they didn't have building junk, crap, junk.
Russia, build more. Lots more. The more you build the less money you have for bombs for murdering the people of Ukraine.
P.S. For those who decided to downvote me, you have decided to side with Russia, an evil citizenry who's collectively decided to murder its neighbors.
So, screw you too.
Russia is evil and the rest of the free world should collectively eject them from current and future participation in the ISS. Kick them off and absolutely no funds for space-based programs go to them from this moment forward.
Russia, Putin, they are evil. Screw Russia.
Edit: It crashed into the moon.
Screw Russia. They spent money they didn't have building junk, crap, junk.
Russia, build more. Lots more. The more you build the less money you have for bombs for murdering the people of Ukraine.
P.S. For those who decided to downvote me, you have decided to side with Russia, an evil citizenry who's collectively decided to murder its neighbors.
So, screw you too.
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Nothing wrong with having a space launch complex in a friendly neighbouring country...
...except perhaps not paying for the bills and a panache for invading your neighbours, that is!
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If the probe is in lunar orbit, it will also be behind the moon half the time. That would cut communication opportunities to six hours an earth day.
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As much abhorrent as thar strike was, please let's keep the numbers straight: the last official toll was around 7 civilians killed and 117 wounded so far. Which is a lot by any count, obviously, and quite inexcusable. The numbers might change yet, of course – probably quite a bit upwards, unfortunately, but please let's keep it official.
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Eduard Khil's "Trololo Song" would be the perfect chef's kiss...
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Can't even conquer Ukraine, and you expect to conquer the moon?...
Seriously, I was feeling bad for the scientists for a moment , but got over it. Like athletes barred from international competitions, they are not just practicing their passion in their isolation. They are in charge of boosting the pride of a monstrous regime, which is funding them for it. If you tie yourself to that regime, you're going to take what's coming to you.
Seriously, I was feeling bad for the scientists for a moment , but got over it. Like athletes barred from international competitions, they are not just practicing their passion in their isolation. They are in charge of boosting the pride of a monstrous regime, which is funding them for it. If you tie yourself to that regime, you're going to take what's coming to you.
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Do they say that radar was invented by Radar Radiovich Radiovochenko by any chance?
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"Essentially, the modest Moon mission was supposed make Russia great in space again."
In Putin's Russia, one gets the feeling that failing the leader ain't good,
In Putin's Russia, one gets the feeling that failing the leader ain't good,
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Serious question: say for the sake of argument it's in orbit, but tumbling. And that Russia can't reestablish comms with it. So it just keeps orbiting the moon for, like, ever, in the way and useless, as micro-meteors slowly nibble away at it?
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Some people here at my university need to pay attention to this. They build instruments to measure micrometeorites and dust in space. They really need to get working on this unknown Russian technology which seems to increase the flux of micrometeorites to many orders of magnitude above natural values.
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I'd say this mission was well within the capabilities of the Soviet Union. Which says something about the current Russian capabilities.
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Most likely not. Most lunar orbits are rather unstable. I haven't seen much on what's likely with this one, though, and I have Baldur's Gate 3 to play rather than look it up.
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No. Unless the Russians are insane and incompetent (and, I guess that's a possibility given the former head of Roscosmos, among other things...) that can't happen. The command dictionary would be restricted if not classified, and there would be back-and-forth verification that the commands were correctly received. I wouldn't say pirating a spacecraft is impossible, but it would take a lot of resources, both hacking the operator's ground system and having some deep space antennas. I don't think there are even half a dozen countries who could do it, and none care enough to risk the political fallout if they got caught.
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Those are generally commercial satellites. For something like JPL's operations network, you very definitely can't rent an account from Amazon. Their security is less impressive than they claim, but it's not that bad. I would expect the Russians to be even more paranoid about things like that, although they gap between claims and reality is probably greater.
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In low Earth orbit. That's easy. When my lab had some communications problems with a CubeSat, we actually got some help from a ham radio hobbyist who lived farther from ground-based interference than the antenna on our building's roof. But even the Moon is much farther away and communications require things like big, directional antennas. Which are, for all practical purposes, at least, mid-range radio telescopes.
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Do they? I know the Soviets had several such ships. But I thought they most capable one (Nedelin class, I think) were retired long ago and not replaced. What sort of ship-based, deep space communications assets do the Russians currently have?
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