Russia-- 4 million down the drain

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_sail
http://www.news10.net/storyfull10.asp?id=11619

Quote:

---

The agency says the booster rocket attached to Cosmos One failed 83 seconds after it was launched from a Russian nuclear submarine in the Barents Sea.

The experimental $4 million space craft was designed to be propelled by pressure from sunlight. And Cosmos One was intended to show that such a craft can make a controlled flight.

---

Yeah, you think you could look after your youth in Russia? You know, the youth that spends those cold Russian winter nights hungry in your sewer systems? .............looking to save face with the ISS is one thing............but this............*sigh*



"Space Program"
Leave that to the people with the wherewithal. Look on as we brain-drain yours and the Euros society for another year....ever since WWII?

Hi !mitationRust

I think you are being harsh. This just looks like a regular scientific experiment? After all $4million for a "space programme" :D

That is backyard bottle rocket stuff is it not?

"launched from a submarine"................why didn't NASA think of that?...........seems to me they are using up obsolete cold war stuff that they would have to scrap anyway. The military are being paid anyway, so there is no additional cost there..............

Better they shoot it into space than let it fall into the wrong hands :eek:

True two innovations for the price of one. When you are trying one new thing in space exploration there is a large chance for something to go wrong. When you try two you at least triple the chance for a malfunction. If the launch from the sub worked it would have been a extremely inexpesive way to launch satelites.

You forget to mention that the solar sail was paid for by Americans :D

The rocket (a Volna-1) was supplied by the Russians (it was catching dust anyways), but the Cosmos-1 is/was property of the Planetary Society. Half of the 4 million came from private (American) investors, the other half by Cosmos Studios, a "new science-based media and entertainment venture".

Thanks Negative , that is sort of the way I was reading it: a relatively low cost scientific experiment?

I am afraid I reveal my beancounter past here :D The submarine was already bought and paid for, as was the rocket. The personnel are already on the payroll, and this is a good training exercise.

The money was already spent so there was no real social welfare alternative?

Anyway, I couldn't run a half decent poster campaign in Moscow and St.Petersburg for $4 million, let alone have a significant welfare effect?

:)

It's a shame it was an interesting experiment. Hopefully the "relatively" low cost will allow it to be repeated quite soon.

Not quite sure why a private investor would be interested in solar sails though.

Hi Aspman ,

Quote:

---

Not quite sure why a private investor would be interested in solar sails though.

---

How much has that Russian oil billionaire spent on Chelsea football club?............I guess some people want to buy themselves a piece of history?
:D

Too bad it didn't work out. They must try again.

//EDIT Many agencys launch craft in Russia. It's cheap and the waiting list isn't out 5 years.

Quote:

---

I guess some people want to buy themselves a piece of history

---

Hmmm, maybe I'd think something grander would be in the planning if that was the case.

A thought occurred to me (happens once in a while). Solar sails give the possibility of travelling long distances relatively faster then rockets. So we get a pluto probe pop a sail on it and send it off. According to the beeb it would reach Pluto in 5 years. Fine, lovely how does it slow down?

Does it tack into the wind at an angle like ships can do?

:D I admit I was being overly harsh towards our friend mother Russia. Nonetheless you see how I feel about the Russian space programs. To me it's like the United African space program ***excluding South Africa. Millions of children running around homeless and hungry, and the leader of your country is pouring billions into primitive science..............
What did we launch into space with Voyager?

Quote:

---

Records imply sounds and those carried by Voyager carried a selection of tunes that is now used for NPR bumper music, wildlife noises, and kiddies giving the usual vapid greetings. But in addition, the record also includes photographs with a remarkable emphasis on biology , a disturbing fascination with reproduction that reflects a lot of hidden assumptions about biology, and National Geographic pictorials; all formatted for audio disks.

---

Have they lost their minds.................

"All our science, measured against reality, is primitive and
childlike-and yet it is the most precious thing we have."


To be fair we have homeless and hungry too, but nothing like Russia.

NASA is developing one that will be pushed by a laser.

Quote:

---

Fine, lovely how does it slow down?

---

A couple of things here. Remember this, it's important to all space travel local to the sun. Everything is in orbit including the sail. Speed is relative to both the direction of motion around the sun (in the crafts orbit) and the angle of the sun's light on the sail. Keeping the mirror parallel to the sunlight rays sustains the current orbit. Without the suns gravity and obrital motion this thing goes now where. So when the ship is ready, the sail is moved so the light from the sun hits it full on, perpendicular to forward motion of the ship. Now one would instinctively think, the ship would moving with the sail in front with the light 'pulling" it along.

So the pressure of the light pushes the ship out as it goes around the sun making its obit larger and large while increasing velocity. The sails have to constantly move around the ship to keep the mirror always facing the sun and perpendicular to orbital motion. In this case always pointing to the center of orbit. It takes a long time to achieve velocity since the light is gently pushing against the sail or mirror. (hows that for light versus mass discussions?).

So how does it stop.... reverse the angle of the suns rays to indirectly counter the orbital motion. In otherwords, turning the sail opposite to the motion of the craft so that light no longer pushes against it. No that light no longer pushes the craft, it slows and when that happens it's orbit decays, meaning gets closer to the sun and your forward momentum stabilizes based on the suns gravitaional pull. You can't stop it. There is no reverse force to do so.

Imagine the mathematics.

//EDIT Rust, if this misison would have succeeded ALL of mankind would benefit. And the RKA is not the old soviet empire. It's an international organization, they launch stuff we all use. All major space Agencies have plans for one. Hell the Japanese deployed sails in 2004 but that was just a test of the technology. Cosmos 1 launched on the soviet rocket for ONE reason. To save money. Looks like the gamble failed unfortunately. This isn't the first time the project has suffered. :(

[Enlightened]Nice explanation, thanks.[/Enlightened]