[meteorite-list] Come ON, NASA!!!

From: Jensan Scientifics/ Sci-Mall <jensan_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 09:52:22 2004
Message-ID: <3D6ACA35.BA909BE2_at_pcii.net>

Hi all,

We find it hard to believe that after the loss a couple of years ago of
the whole Mars Polar Lander mission (that is; the main lander AND its
independent surface probes) without a trace during a planned
communication blackout, JUST like that of the Contour spacecraft...that
NASA would plan any more missions, EVER, where critical mission
maneuvers are carried out without telemetry coverage. It still might
fail, BUT at least we'd save the cost of an investigation and have a
little more to go on for the re-design effort.

Yes, we know that some maneuvers must be carried out "behind" the
planet...this has been true of orbit insertion and de-orbit engine burns
as far back as the Surveyor and Apollo missions.
It's always been a mission risk without telemetry.

But just think about it for a second... the Contour spacecraft was only
140 miles or so away from Earth when some catastrophic failure
apparently occurred, and it was "out of radio contact with controllers".

Come on NASA, do a "lessons learned" analysis, HUH???

Best,
Dave and Sarah
...............................
...............................

Ron Baalke wrote:
>
> Donald Savage/Bob Jacobs
> Headquarters, Washington August 26, 2002
> (Phone: 202/358-1547/1600)
>
> RELEASE: 02-161
>
> NASA APPOINTS CONTOUR MISSION INVESTIGATION TEAM
>
> On Aug. 15, CONTOUR's STAR 30 solid-propellant rocket motor
> was programmed to ignite at 4:49 a.m. EDT, giving CONTOUR
> enough boost to escape Earth's orbit. At that time, CONTOUR
> was about 140 miles above the Indian Ocean and out of radio
> contact with controllers. The CONTOUR mission operations team
> at APL expected to regain contact at approximately 5:35 a.m.
> EDT to confirm the burn, but NASA's Deep Space Network (DSN)
> antennas did not acquire a signal.
>
> Since then, there has been no contact with CONTOUR. Commands
> pre-programmed into the spacecraft's flight computer system,
> designed to instruct the spacecraft to try various alternate
> methods of contacting Earth when contact is lost, also have
> not worked to date.
>
> Images from a Spacewatch ground-based telescope at Kitt Peak,
> Ariz., show three objects at the location where CONTOUR was
> predicted to be, images which may indicate the spacecraft has
> broken apart. Mission controllers at APL will continue
> listening for signals from the spacecraft periodically until
> early December, when CONTOUR will come into a more favorable
> angle for receiving a signal from Earth.
Received on Mon 26 Aug 2002 08:39:17 PM PDT