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Russia’s “Fobos-Grunt” [“Phobos-Dirt”] Debacle

Probe’s home page [in Russian]

Pre-launch trajectory of rocket firings

Live blogging of launch, then disaster

Live blogging of accident investigation

“Spaceflight-101” Blog of Mission Progress

Dec 02 - Euros Quit Futile Comm Attempts

Dec 01 - Rant on Russian Space Incompetence

Nov 30 - No Comm Progress Euros to Quit Trying

Nov 24 - Moronic Russian Accusation of US Sabotage

Nov 23 - Radio Contact

Nov 23 - Radio Contact Confirmed

Nov 21 - Surviving Reentry

Nov14 - Is Cross-coupling Raising the Orbit

Nov 14 - Criticizing Moscow Secrecy

Nov 14 - Russians giving up hope

Nov 12 - Rebuttel to Popovkin

Nov 10 - Overnight news not encouraging

Nov 09 - Stuck but maybe rescuable

Nov 08 - Launch

Russia Asks South American Astronomers: Watch Our Rocket, Please!

Why The Probe Was Delayed (from September 2009)

02/05/2009 - Oberg’s “Lunar and Planetary Institute” presentation
- Powerpoint presentation

Selected charts from that presentation:

06/2009 - Discover Magazine: “Russia's Dark Horse Plan to Get to Mars”

02/2009 - Robot Magazine: Russia’s Robot Grabber on a Martian Moon

02/2007 - ASTRONOMY Magazine: “Russia Prepares A Return to Mars”

Mission simulation animations on youtube videos:
Ten minute preview
(Jim’s guide to events here)

Five-minute alternate version with Bolero soundtrack
Phobos-Grunt Sample Return Mission

Jim’s review: “Very nice spacecraft graphics, but flight trajectory is badly illustrated. Shows old (rejected) proposal for ion thrusting in transit to Mars. Graphic shows Mars leading as probe reaches Mars orbit (that’s wrong). Omits final plane change maneuver prior to return to Earth. Also – wrong booster for Earth launch.”

Recent more correct and shorter report
and this link
Comment: “28 Feb 2009 ‘Vesti’ news, shows spacecraft fabrication, Phobos model, interviews, animation, and CORRECT launch vehicle (near end)”

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Book Foreward

Jim's visionary Foreword to new book "Space Probes" anticipates an era of planetary discovery involving exobiology on a dozen other worlds.

Space Probes Cover Image

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Recent Articles

Oberg [MSNBC]: ‘Death Planet’ gets a bum rap [Dec 2003]Problems with Mars probes? The fault is not in the stars, but in ourselves

The ‘Great Galactic Ghoul’ fairy tale

The dark side of space conspiracy disaster theories [January 2008]

Eerie predecessor: Mars-96 falls back to Earth [with plutonium]

Scary predecessor: Falling Soviet nuclear reactors, official coverups

HOW MARS MISSIONS FAIL – AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT

Air&Space – Dec 2004: “Things That Fall to Earth” [surviving reentry]

Thanksgiving Aboard the ISS

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Space Stories to Watch in 2012


Surprises and Shocks

  • NEW DISCOVERIES
  • NEW PLAYERS APPEAR
  • FALLING SATELLITE CRISES
  • RANDOM FAILURES
  • HUMAN WEAKNESSES
  • STRANGE SIGHTINGS

 

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Is the Russian Space Industry Capable of Building the New RUS-R booster? "Aerospace America", October 2011

Op-Ed By James Oberg: Why Is NASA Caving to the Russians On I.S.S.? July 25th, 2011

July 21-- At End of Shuttle, Russians Brag of'Era of Reliability

June 9 -- Chinese Redirect Moon Probe To Lagrange Point SEL2

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Marking the end of the space shuttle program

Goodbye, shuttle. The next generation? Frustration. By James Oberg // USA Today // July 7, 2011 The nimble program showed NASA that in space, we must expect the unexpected. The next generation's designers seem to have forgotten this.

Six Things We Lose With the End of the Shuttle Program --The shuttle's all-but-irreplaceable capabilities made it a vehicle that performed in unforeseen situations James Oberg/ July 2011 // SPECTRUM // Institute of Electrical & Electronic Engineers

12 Space Shuttle Missions That Weren't
A look at some of the gutsier (and goofier) proposed space shuttle missions By James Oberg / June 2011

Nine Astronauts Who OUGHT to Have Been on a Shuttle flight July 23, 2011

The Tenth "Should Have Flown Shuttle" Astronaut

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Thirtieth Anniversary of First Shuttle Orbital Flight

Jim Oberg - 'Propulsion Consumables' console 1981
Jim Oberg - 'Propulsion Consumables' console 1981

 

 

STS1 badge
Jim's Mission Control Center access badge, April 1981

Propulsion console back room
OMS/RCS Propulsion Console Back Room, STS-1 Launch Propulsion team: Fred Frere, Jim, Lt Joe Squatrito (behind), Sandy Mangold (front) Flight Computer team: Gerry Knori, Andy Algate

Accidental STS-1 Alumni Reunion
Accidental STS-1 Alumni Reunion (2008) -- Jim Oberg, Colonel Joe Squatrito, Wayne Hale

press badge
Jim's 'News Media' Badge (1981)

STS 1 Team
Another view of STS-1 prop team: Front, Charlie Young, Fred Frere Back: College Kid, Tony Ceccacci, Gary Coen, Wayne Hale

STS 1 T-Shirt
Jim's "Ascent Team" T-shirt, displayed shortly after liftoff after the SECOND countdown (note 'eventually')
 

 

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Space Policy Options

06/15/2010 - MSNBC: "How risky is it to rely on Russian spaceflight?"

12/13/2010 - AP: Russia's Soyuz soon to be only lifeline to space

'Spectrum' (April 2010): "Wesley T. Huntress: Author of NASA's New Strategy"

MSNBC (Oberg): The right and wrong stuff for space cooperation

MSNBC.com (Oberg): "Why private 'space taxis' may not be as hard as many think"

09/11/2009 - Which way for NASA? ‘Flexible Path’ concept may work out best

Discussing Jim's Article here

08/17/2009 - Space Review: How To Make Man-to-Mars Less Impossible

Final chapter from ‘Star-Crossed Orbits’ (2002) on perils of partnerships in space

The ‘Huntress Report’ – “Stepping Stones to Mars”

‘The Mars Conquest’ (2001) on the value of human Mars settlement

01/14/2004 - USA TODAY: “Think outside moon-Mars box: Maybe visit asteroid”

Human Asteroid Missions for Planetary Defense (1998 speech)

 

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Baykonur Cosmodrome VIP Tours

Expert Guidance on Planning, Preparation, and Escorting

Are you going to Russia’s Baykonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to attend the launch of a manned ‘Soyuz’ spaceship, a commercial communications satellite, a scientific probe, or any other reason? The long-mysterious and super-secret spaceport has become a mecca for ‘space tourists’ of the 21st Century, but understanding what you will see, or even what you are actually seeing once you get there, is hindered by decades of secrecy, by the fog of cultural barriers, and by the impenetrability of “technical jargon” associated with “rocket science”. Now a solution is available – a world expert on penetrating “Soviet space secrets” is available to expand the value of your experience. Jim Oberg can triple the appreciation of your experience by careful pre-trip organization and briefings, and as desired by personal interpretative and explanatory services on site. For more details, go HERE.

 

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Space disasters still have lessons to teach

As shuttle era winds down, future rocketeers must develop safety culture

 

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Recent TV appearances on national space policy
(still working out the techniques of Skype Webcam from his own office)

 

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Oberg snoops around Houston space center during June, 2011 press events

 

 

 

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NEW: Dec 16, 2010 -- Did Russia Lose Comm with New Soyuz?

 

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Latest Russian Spaceship Upgrade: The "Digital Soyuz"

 

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Mysterious Chinese 'Space Rendezvous' Test?

 

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Is Russia's Cosmonaut Training Center Collapsing?

 

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01/19/2010 - IEEE Spectrum: Russia's Ailing ICBM Program

 

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04/2010 - IEEE Spectrum: U.S. Air Force Launches Secret Flying Twinkie

 

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Jim interviews father-son spacers Owen and Richard Gariott

 

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Completing the International Space Station


Jim with first ESA commander of the ISS (Oct-Dec 2009), Frank Dewinne

 

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Russia's 500-Day Mars Mission Simulation

About the simulation

Photos

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Jim’s Speaking Program for 2012 Filling Up

Conferences, conventions, industry seminars, university activities, private groups, educational and hobby programs, and other audiences of any size seeking entertaining and informative talks on various aspects of outer space are encouraged to contact Jim Oberg soon for their necessary scheduling of talks in the coming academic year. His expanded repertory of topics now includes several new offerings and updated old favorites. These programs can be tailored to specific length and focus needs.

 

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“There’s no soy ooze in ‘Soyuz’” (pronouncing Russian space terms)

 

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09/2007 - MSNBC.com: Satellite to test special deliveries from space [tether!!]

 

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Aerospace History Controversies Continue

Space History Controversies Revived:

** Gagarin and the ‘secret cosmonauts’



** Another politicized ‘herstory’ of the “Mercury-13” women

 

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Jim summarizes world space activities on ‘Russia Today’

Jim discusses how a secret Moscow missile test caused a major Soviet UFO panic
Physics Forums on this case: “This guy’s work was really impressive. I wouldn't have known where to start. This so beats our speculating about dubious news stories.”

Dara Brown, MSNBC, interviews Jim on satellite collision (Feb 2009)

 

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Russia To Continue Space Tourism Flights Post-2010

Commercial Space Tourism Advances

 

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Interesting People

 

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Interplanetary Exploration

 

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Preparing for Human Flight to Mars

 

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Novosti, February 27, 2007: New Kourou Launch Pad Can Conduct Manned Flights

News item (my translation), quoting Anatoliy Perminov, head of the Russian Space Agency, while visiting the European launch center at Kourou, French Guyana: "Yes, of course, over the long term, the ‘Soyuz-ST’ [booster] which will be launched from Kourou can be used also for manned launches. This promising manned transport system, developed now together with the European partners, can be used for organizng, from Kourou, the launches of manned spacecraft."

See March-April 2007, LAUNCH magazine feature article on
the future of human orbital missions launched from South America

 

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June 6, 2006


Test flight for space hotel delayed

 

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Soyuz Launch -- Up Close and Personal


‘Every launch is like the first one’
What it's like to witness a spaceship set off for the space station

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Jim returns from triumphant 'Earth Orbit' educational program for American Museum of Natural History (New York, NY).


This program involved fourteen travelers who visited the Hayden Planetarium, the NASA Goddard Space Center, the National air & Space Museum, Capa Canaveral
and the Kennedy Space Center, then Russian space sites such as various museums (including some usually closed to
the public), the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, and the Baykonur Cosmodrome, where they attended the Soyuz TMA-7 blastoff on October 1.

(Sep 22) With Story Musgrave at the Saturn/Shuttle ‘Vertical Assembly Building’ (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida
(Sep 22) With Story Musgrave at the Saturn/Shuttle ‘Vertical Assembly Building’ (VAB) at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida

(Sep 26) Examining SFOG canister (‘Solid Fuel Oxygen Generator’) inside Mir mockup at ‘Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center’. A unit like this one malfunctioned in February 1997 and nearly killed six crewmen, including a visiting american astronaut.(Sep 26) Examining SFOG canister (‘Solid Fuel Oxygen Generator’) inside Mir mockup at ‘Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center’. A unit like this one malfunctioned in February 1997 and nearly killed six crewmen, including a visiting american astronaut.

(Sep 26) Peering into Soyuz ‘Orbital Module’ trainer at ‘Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center’, Star City, NE of Moscow
(Sep 26) Peering into Soyuz ‘Orbital Module’ trainer at ‘Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center’, Star City, NE of Moscow
(Sep 29) At edge of Soyuz flame pit an hour after booster installation on the launch pad, two days prior to blastoff. L-R: Jim, Jo Dominguez, Doug Grimes (MirCorp Travel), Alicia Stevens (Discovery Tours, AMNH)
(Sep 29) At edge of Soyuz flame pit an hour after booster installation on the launch pad, two days prior to blastoff. L-R: Jim, Jo Dominguez, Doug Grimes (MirCorp Travel), Alicia Stevens (Discovery Tours, AMNH).

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Jim Covers Shuttle’s Return-to-Flight’ for NBC

 

 

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Jim spends an hour on National Public Radio discussing spaceflight
(Real player required)

"Tuesday, Jul. 19, 2005, 3:00 PM // Wisconsin Public Radio, "Ideas Network" Ben Merens: While NASA engineers continue to examine the Space Shuttle, Ben Merens and his guest examine the planned mission, as well as the history, and future of the shuttle program.

Guest: Jim Oberg, former Space Shuttle mission control engineer."

 

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New Oberg presentation for industrial safety conferences:

“Flaws in the ‘NASA Safety Culture’ and Their Lessons for Earthside Safety”

This presentation shows how many notorious space disasters were not due to inherent hazards of space, but were due to violating well-known principles of hi-tech safety. It provides explanations for the Challenger and Columbia shuttle catastrophes and for the 1999 Mars robot fleet disaster...

More...


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"Curmudgeon's Corner" space blog names Oberg "best space reporter" of 2004.

Mark Whittington at 'Curmudgeon's Corner', a blog that covers technology and spaceflight and other topics, put together his year in space awards for 2004, and the full text is on his home page.

"Best space reporter. James Oberg, for actually knowing of what he writes and talks about,
which is not necessarily true for all reporters on the space beat."

 

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***Notice to Would-Be Whistleblowers***

 

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Jim Oberg's Tribute to Max Faget - October 10, 2004


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07/06/2004 - Cosmonaut Nikolayev's Body Reported Hijacked By Politician

 

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Read the first two chapters of Jim's classic
1981 book on "terraforming", NEW EARTHS

 

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See Jim's Latest on MSNBC.COM's Sci-Tech Page

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NEW PAMPHLET:

“Toward a Theory of Space Power”, James Oberg, remarks delivered May 20, 2003, Washington Roundtable on Science & Public Policy, sponsored by the George C. Marshall Institute, Washington, DC. 28 pages. $10.00 postage paid ($12.00 outside North America). A recent book by Everett Dolman, Astropolitik: Classical Geopolitics in the Space Age, speaks of the importance of space and space-faring nations and has high praise for Oberg’s work. Dolman writes, “Strategy, grand strategy in particular, is not simply the efficient military application of force. Since grand strategy is ultimately political in nature, that is to say the ends of national strategy are inextricably political, yet the means or dimensions of strategy are not limited.” He goes on to define six or seven things that make up a grand strategy, and concludes by saying, “To date, only James Oberg’s Space Power Theory [now out of print with an expanded version in preparation], a comprehensive effort commissioned by the United States Space Command, approaches the requirements laid out above.”

 

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Contact James Regarding Lecture Availability

 

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