* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: Yinghuo-1 Mission

Blobrana · L

Mars probe fuel 'not a threat'

Toxic fuel in the Russian Phobos-Grunt spacecraft, stuck in Earth orbit, is unlikely to survive re-entry and endanger life, a space debris researcher said.
Experts warned that the uncontrolled spacecraft could enter Earth's atmosphere in weeks. The fuel on board, accounting for roughly two-thirds of its 13 tons, could be a potential hazard if the craft crashes back to Earth.
The craft contains hydrazine fuel, which is highly corrosive and toxic.
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Blobrana · L

YAOGAN 12
1 37875U 11066B   11315.43809418  .00013453  00000-0  52378-3 0   100
2 37875 097.4163 027.5529 0005582 267.8026 229.5107 15.26101926   349

Period:       94.36 minutes
Inclination: 97.42°
Apogee:     491 km
Perigee:     484 km

Blobrana · L

China's first Mars probe will be launched from a Russian rocket in November, said local media on Monday.
The Mars explorer, Yinghuo-1, marks the country's first attempt at deep space exploration after its sending a probe to the moon.
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Blobrana · L

China's first Mars probe is expected to be launched in October this year in a joint operation with Russia after a two-year delay, state media reported on Sunday. The probe, Yinghuo-1, was due to blast off in October 2009 with Russia's 'Phobos Explorer' from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan but the launch was postponed, the official Xinhua news agency said.
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Blobrana · L

China's first Mars probe postponed

The launch of China's first Mars probe "Yinghuo-1", originally scheduled for October 2009 on a Russian carrier rocket, has been postponed until 2011 due to Russia's "technical reasons", a Chinese space exploration official said here Wednesday.
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Blobrana · L

China's first Mars probe mission will be delayed because of Russia's decision to postpone the launch of its mission to the Martian moon Phobos from next month to the year 2011.
Russia's Phobos-Grunt mission had been slated to lift off aboard a Zenith rocket in October on a three-year mission to study Phobos and return soil samples to Earth. Yinghuo-1 orbiter was set to be launched with the mission.

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Blobrana · L

China's first unmanned Mars probe is being readied for a launch later this year, state media reports.
The Yinghuo 1 orbiter is scheduled to lift-off alongside Russia's Phobos-Grunt spacecraft aboard a Zenit rocket in October after final testing.
The probe will slip into orbit around Mars some 10 months later.

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Blobrana · L

China's first Mars probe will have to stand the test of nearly nine hours in the freezing, dark shadow of the red planet during its one-year mission - the longest such period in exploration history - the scientist in charge of the probe's design has said.

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Blobrana · L

China readies its first robotic Mars mission
The rapidly ascending Chinese space program is setting its sights on a new target: Mars.
China plans to send an orbiter to the Red Planet on a Russian launch vehicle later this year. The nation's first Mars probe, Yinghuo-1, will piggyback on the ambitious Phobos-Grunt mission.

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