News Roscosmos News

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RIA Novosti: Russia's space chief says industry in 'crisis' after latest failure:

Russia's space industry needs an influx of new faces to overcome its current crisis, the head of the Roscosmos agency said on Friday, hours after a satellite crashed in southern Siberia.
“The space branch is suffering a crisis. We must resolve this situation and give way to the youth…Perhaps it's time for reshuffle,” agency chief Vladimir Popovkin said.

Popovkin was speaking after the crash of Meridian dual purpose satellite launched from the Plesetsk space center in northern Russia on board a Soyuz-2 carrier rocket. Aerospace Forces spokesman Col. Alexei Zolotukhin said the satellite fel to earth just minutes after take-off.

Initial reports said debris was found near the south Siberian city of Tobolsk, but later a police source said that fragments of the satellite were spotted in four residential areas in the nearby Novosibirsk region.
Russia has experienced a number of launch mishaps in the past 13 months.
On 18 August, a Proton vehicle failed to put a communications satellite in its proper orbit.

On 1 February, a Rokot launch also saw a similar outcome.

And on 5 December last year, a Proton carrying three navigation spacecraft fell into the Pacific Ocean. This particular failure is widely believed to have contributed to the decision of the Russian government to replace the then space agency chief, Anatoly Perminov.

Popovkin took over as the head of Roscosmos in April.

The rocket failures come on top of the loss of Phobos-Grunt, Russia's most ambitious planetary mission in decades. It became stuck in Earth orbit after its launch in November and is expected to fall back to Earth next month.

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Parabolic Arc: New Russian Space Czar Hits Ground Running:

Hardline Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, the Kremlin’s new defense and space czar, has hit the ground running this week as he attempts to turn around Russia’s failure-prone space sector.

Rogozin has ordered Roscosmos to produce a report analyzing its recent string of launch failures and to develop a master plan through 2030. He also announced the creation a personnel reserve to deal with a shortage of space workers, and he warned trespassing bloggers to stay off the nation’s strategic space installations — or else.

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Parabolic Arc: Russians Prepare to Conduct Engine Tests for Soyuz Light Rocket:

Roscosmos reports that engineers are preparing for a series of test firings on the first stage of the new Soyuz-2.1v rocket.

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Source: Roscosmos​

 

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RIA Novosti: Roscosmos Revives Permanent Moon Base Plans:

Russian Space Agency Roscosmos is in talks with its European and U.S. partners on the creation of manned research bases on the Moon, the agencies chief, Vladimir Popovkin, said on Thursday.

“We don’t want the man to just step on the Moon,” Popovkin said in an interview with Vesti FM radio station.

“Today, we know enough about it, we know that there is water in its polar areas," he said, adding "we are now discussing how to begin [the Moon’s] exploration with NASA and the European Space Agency ."

There are two options, he said: “either to set up a base on the Moon or to launch a station to orbit around it.”

The project of a “prospective manned transportation system” to be sent to the Moon is currently being developed, the Roscosmos chief said.

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[SiberianTiger]

I read it so: be reminded that ACTS development is still under way at "no hurry anywhere" pace. He also actually said that "Luna-Globe" and "Luna-Resourse" probes will be launched "before 2020". Which is a bit embarrassing. I read it so: "We don't have guts to launch them anytime soon".

 

[SiberianTiger]

http://en.rian.ru/science/20120127/170986440.html

Roscosmos Launches Cosmonaut Recruitment Drive

16:24 27/01/2012
MOSCOW, January 27 (RIA Novosti)

Russia’s state space agency Roscosmos has launched a cosmonaut selection competition, Roscosmos said on its web site on Friday.

Candidates should apply with the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center. A lucky few will be selected for cosmonaut training by a commission made up of representatives of the training center, rocket and space corporation Energia and the Institute of Biomedical Problems.

The Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center also held a recruitment contest for potential cosmonauts last year. The contest targeted a broad spectrum of people, but mainly those employed in the rocket and space industry.

It's important to point out that this is the first time in history of Russian spaceflight when the recruitment scopes not only Air Force pilots and employees of RKK Energia and related enterprises, but anyone who passes the selection criteria. In addition, the Cosmonauts who are presently serving in ranks of the military, will have to retire to become civilian personnel.

One my friend whose long time dream is to become a Cosmonaut, will apply.

 

[N_Molson]

They forgot "United Russia Party" membership for russian applicants

 

[SiberianTiger]

They forgot "United Russia Party" membership for russian applicants

Training the candidates will take much longer than the United Russia Party will keep sticking around, so such requirement is useless. A simple dossier study at Lubyanka is much more useful for selection process.

 

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RIA Novosti: Manned Moon Shot Possible by 2020 – Roscosmos:

A crewed mission to the moon is possible by 2020, the head of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, Vladimir Popovkin, said in an interview with the Ekho Moskvy radio station on Thursday.

"Today science is ripe for using the moon. I think that by 2020 a man will land on the moon,” Popovkin said.

He also said Russia’s previously announced cosmonaut recruitment drive will focus on preparing crews for a moon mission. The competition will be open for every Russian citizen with technical or medical education.

“I can say that this group will most likely be trained for a lunar mission,” he said.

On January 19, Popovkin voiced plans to set up manned moon research bases with European and U.S. partners, saying that there were plans to either set up a moon base or to launch an orbital station. To that end, Russia is currently developing a “prospective manned transportation system” to be sent to the moon, he added.

Russia is also planning to send two unmanned moon missions by 2020, Luna-Glob (Lunar Sphere) and Luna-Resurs in 2015. The launch timeframe, however, may be reviewed because the two spacecraft are being built with the same technologies as Russia’s failed mission to Phobos and are therefore vulnerable to cosmic radiation.

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[SiberianTiger]

Saying that shortly after cancellation of a Moon rocket project? Hmm... :hmm:

 

[SiberianTiger]

http://en.rian.ru/news/20120202/171084968.html

Russia May Repeat Mars-500 Simulation on Space Station

11:59 02/02/2012
MOSCOW, February 2 (RIA Novosti)

Russia may repeat the Mars-500 experiment simulating a crewed flight to the Red Planet on the International Space Station (ISS), the head of the Russian Space Federal Agency Roscosmos, Vladimir Popovkin said on Thursday

“Mars-500 was a very useful thing in terms of studying people's psychology…We are now seriously considering the possibility of repeating this experiment in space,” Popovkin said in an interview with Ekho Moskvy radio, adding that Moscow is now in talks with NASA and the European Space Agency.

The unique Moscow-based Mars-500 experiment was completed on November 4. It attempted to recreate at least some of the conditions of a flight to the Red Planet by locking six men away in a mock spacecraft.

Now, this is making some sense. The considered plan is to simulate the flight to Mars, land a part of the test crew and launch them back to space after a week-long stay on Earth, to see how well will they do a "back trip".

Wakes up memory of Igor Volk who had to perform a landing of a passenger jet (specially detached for this experiment) after coming back from Salyut-7 station, to confirm that he'd manage a landing of a Buran.

 

[NovaSilisko]

That experiment would work great on a physical level, but not on a psychological level - there'd still be the cycling crews of the usual operation of the ISS.

Unless, of course, they lock them in Zarya or something.

 

[SiberianTiger]

That experiment would work great on a physical level, but not on a psychological level - there'd still be the cycling crews of the usual operation of the ISS.

Unless, of course, they lock them in Zarya or something.

The real dead ends to lock people in are Kibo and Columbus. :lol:

 

[Orbinaut Pete]

Now, this is making some sense. The considered plan is to simulate the flight to Mars, land a part of the test crew and launch them back to space after a week-long stay on Earth, to see how well will they do a "back trip".

Now that would be awesome. We're going to have to "get comfortable" with this concept at some point, and so we might as well do it now while we have ISS in the relative safety of LEO.

 

[SiberianTiger]

http://ria.ru/science/20120203/555923283.html

Experts says: base building on the Moon will require a budget six time of Roscosmos'

21:11 03/02/2012

MOSCOW, Feb 3 - RIA Novosti. Taking a decision to build a habitable base on the Moon's surface will require to blow up Roscosmos budget at least six times from the planned budget of 2014 (200 billion roubles), believes chief editor of Novosti Kosmonavtiki magazine Igor Marinin.

Having a speech on air of Russia-24 channel, he reminded that by 2014 an twofold increase of Roscosmos budget from the figures of 2012 - up to 200 billion roubles. However, these amounts are still not adequate for making a Lunar program a reality.

"To make just an orbiting station for the Moon, budget of Roscomos will have to be threefold in comparison to the current plan. If landing and long-running surface base is planned, this will cost six or more times yet more, in relation to 2014's plan", says the expert.

Meanwhile, head of Roscomos Vladimir Popovkin reminded that there's plan to send two Lunar probes in 2014-2016, "Luna-Glob" and "Luna-Resurs", which should explore polar regions of Earth's natural satellite.

Then, according to Popovkin, a delivery of Lunar soil from these regions which are proved to hold water ice and other fluids, to Earth is planned in 2018.

 

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Universe Today: Russia Sets Its Sights on the Moon for 2020

 

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RIA Novosti: Russian Cosmonaut Recruitment Drive Lures 43 Applicants:

Only 43 people applied for the first open cosmonaut selection drive in the history of the Russian space industry a month before the deadline, recruiters said at a press conference on Tuesday.

Rumors that the new cosmonauts would be preparing for a flight to the moon are untrue, but they will have a chance to participate in an extended mock Mars mission in orbit lasting up to a year, said Alexei Krasnov, who supervises manned spaceflight programs at the Federal Space Agency.

The open selection drive was launched on January 27 and runs until March 15. Of the current applicants, 27 work in the space industry, traditionally the main source of cosmonauts, Sergei Krikalev, head of the Yury Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, said at the press conference in Moscow.

But the list also includes applicants from other professions, including an airline pilot and three army officers, he said. There are also seven women among the applicants, Krikalev, 53, said.

By comparison, an ongoing NASA recruitment drive had about 6,000 applicants, some 1,000 of them female.

Not all applicants were serious. One applied because he lived close to the cosmonaut training center and wanted to save time on commuting, while another sought to leave documents on his mental health out of his paperwork, said Vitaly Davydov, deputy chief of the Federal Space Agency.

Recruiters expect more applications to flow in because contenders need to provide a handful of medical and other documents, the collecting of which takes time, said Krikalev, a cosmonaut who holds the world record for combined time spent in orbit with 803 days in six flights.


To Be a Cosmonaut

To be eligible, applicants need to be no older than 33, graduate from college and have at least five years of work experience, as well as fit meticulous physical requirements such as height when seated (80 to 99 centimeters).

Participation is not limited to technology aficionados. “A person with a background in humanities has the chance of going to space, provided he can master space technologies well enough,” Krikalev told RIA Novosti on the sidelines of the conference.

Only four passed the first stage of selection as of Tuesday, Krikalev said. The Federal Space Agency expects to select five or six potential cosmonauts in the recruitment drive.

Further selection stages include one-on-one psychological checks, physical tests, exams to measure the contenders’ learning abilities and a month-long medical examination. Those who pass, enter the cosmonaut preparation program, which takes no less than six years to finish, meaning that the applicants would not fly into orbit until at least 2018.

The job is demanding, but not a lucrative one, with the monthly salary for a top-grade cosmonaut standing at around 70,000 rubles ($2,300), Krikalev said.

“It pays better to work as a porter,” he said, adding that one of the prime criteria for selection was motivation to go into space.

“It’s tough work to sit on 300 tons of explosives and ascend there,” Davydov agreed.


Go Mars

The long-term goal of Russian and global space research is to go beyond working in low Earth orbit and, ultimately, stage a manned flight to Mars, said Krasnov of the Federal Space Agency.

To prepare for this, the agency is considering sending people into orbit for more than a year in completely autonomous spacecraft, which would allow testing and perfecting technologies for a possible trip to Mars, Krasnov said.

He avoided giving a timeframe for an actual Mars flight, but said the long trips to orbit would be based on the Mars-500 experiment, wrapped up last year, which saw a crew of six locked up in a facility in Moscow for 520 days in a simulated Mars trip.

The current record for continuous stay in space belongs to Russian Valery Polyakov, who spent 437 days in orbit in 1994-1995.

Russia will also be investing more in unmanned space flights but not to the detriment of manned expeditions, the funding for which is increasing, Davydov said.

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Aviation Week: Manned Russian Moon Missions Unlikely:

Singapore – Anatoly Perminov, the former director general of the Russian space agency Roscosmos, has downplayed the prospect that Russia will have manned space missions to the Moon.

In recent weeks, Roscosmos chief Vladimir Popovkin disclosed that Russian astronauts may land on the Moon in 2020.

Perminov, who stepped down last year as director general of Roscosmos and is now deputy director general of the agency’s joint-stock company, Russian Space Systems, was dismissive when asked about the reports.

He says the agency has plans, but they have yet to receive government approval. The proposals are due to be presented to the government in March, he adds. But whether approval is forthcoming remains to be seen because Russia’s presidential elections will take place on March 4, Perminov says. He spoke to Aviation Week on the sidelines of the Global Space & Satellite Convention in Singapore.

Perminov declined to comment on why Russia is interested in exploring the Moon.

But Surrey Satellite Chairman Martin Sweeting addressed the same conference and said that last year’s discovery of water on the Moon is a more significant event than people realize. “In the long term, it will transform the way we explore the Solar System. Not next year, but in a few years’ time.”

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Parabolic Arc: Roscosmos Board Meets, Lays Out Future Space Plans:

On March 6 the Federal Space Agency held a board meeting under the direction of the head of Russian Space Agency, V.A. Popovkin.

Agenda of the meeting included the questions:

• The results of space activities in 2011, the task of the Federal Space Agency in 2012.
• Consideration of the materials of the project “Development Strategy of the Russian space industry for the period up to 2030″

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, the representatives of the Russian Presidential Administration and the Russian Government, ministries and agencies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, a number of universities, heads of enterprises of the Russian space industry.

A report on the first issue was made by Popovkin.

The head of the agency carefully considered the results of the implementation of space programs in 2011 and prospects for development of space activities, noting that “last year in the Russian space program has been full of events, among which are the both the achievements and failures. This has left not only a special responsibility for the implementation of space programs, but also ‘secured’ at all levels, without exception, pay close attention to our activities. “

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One of the major challenges facing the Russian Space Agency in 2012, is a continuation of the subroutine provides a spaceport infrastructure “East.” According V.A. Popovkin, “this year for East – defines the need to carry out all the rough work, or to launch in 2015 will not work.”

In his speech, Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin said that “attention to space, the space industry is the main trends in the activities of the Government,” and also noted “the need to strengthen the coordinating role of the Russian Space Agency in the aerospace industry “.

During the meeting, presentations were also made by the leaders of the rocket and space enterprises.

On the second item on the agenda – Project “Development Strategy of the Russian space for a period up to 2030″ was presented by State Secretary – Deputy Head of Federal Space Agency V.A. Davydov, who noted that “developed by the project submitted to the Government of the Russian Federation. Federal Space Agency is ready to discuss it with all concerned ministries, departments and organizations. “

Having heard and discussed reports of the speakers, the Board decided as a goal in 2012 to establish the implementation of federal programs, state customer which is the Federal Space Agency, by improving the design and production organizations of missile and space industry and increase its availability to the creation of rocket and Space current level.

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[Suzy]

MSNBC.com: "Russia's space chief taken to hospital due to 'exhaustion'"