Yinghuo 1
Encyclopedia
Yinghuo-1 was a Chinese
Mars-exploration
space probe
, intended to be the first Chinese spacecraft to explore Mars. It was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome
, Kazakhstan
, on 8 November 2011, along with the Russia
n Fobos-Grunt sample return spacecraft, which was intended to visit Mars' moon Phobos
. The 115-kg (250-lb) Yinghuo-1 probe was intended to orbit Mars for around two years, studying the planet's surface, atmosphere, ionosphere
and magnetic field
. Shortly after launch, Fobos-Grunt was expected to perform two burns to depart Earth orbit bound for Mars. However, these burns did not take place, leaving the probe stranded in orbit. On 17 November 2011, Chinese state media reported that the probe had been declared lost by the CNSA
.
, literally "luminous fire") was a tribute to the near-homophone
yinghuo . This word, literally meaning "shimmering confusion", is an ancient Chinese name for Mars
.
, Sun Laiyan
, and the head of the Russian Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov
, signed a landmark space co-operation accord, entitled the "Cooperative Agreement between the China National Space Administration and the Russian Space Agency on joint Chinese-Russian exploration of Mars". One stipulation of the agreement was the construction and launch of the Yinghuo probe and its Russian counterpart, Fobos-Grunt.
The probe's scientific payload consisted of a four primary instrument packages:
. Fobos-Grunt and Yinghuo-1 would have conducted Mars ionosphere
occultation
experiments together, although Fobos-Grunt's primary objective was to obtain surface samples from the Martian moon Phobos
. Yinghuo-1 would have experienced periods of up to 8.8 hours in darkness when its orbit carried it over Mars' nightside; it would have run on reserve power during these periods, as its solar panels would have been unusable without direct sunlight.
Zenit rocket
with a Fregat
upper stage from Baikonur Cosmodrome
, Kazakhstan
, on 8 November 2011. Shortly after launch, Fobos-Grunt was expected to perform two burns to depart Earth orbit and begin its journey to Mars. However, these burns did not take place, stranding the two spacecraft in their parking orbit. Despite repeated efforts to contact Fobos-Grunt and rectify the problem, the spacecraft continued to lose altitude, risking deorbit if the malfunctioning engines could not be restarted. On 17 November, Chinese state media formally declared the probe lost.
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
Mars-exploration
Exploration of Mars
The exploration of Mars has been an important part of the space exploration programs of the Soviet Union, the United States, Europe, and Japan. Dozens of robotic spacecraft, including orbiters, landers, and rovers, have been launched toward Mars since the 1960s...
space probe
Space probe
A robotic spacecraft is a spacecraft with no humans on board, that is usually under telerobotic control. A robotic spacecraft designed to make scientific research measurements is often called a space probe. Many space missions are more suited to telerobotic rather than crewed operation, due to...
, intended to be the first Chinese spacecraft to explore Mars. It was launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, on 8 November 2011, along with the Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n Fobos-Grunt sample return spacecraft, which was intended to visit Mars' moon Phobos
Phobos (moon)
Phobos is the larger and closer of the two natural satellites of Mars. Both moons were discovered in 1877. With a mean radius of , Phobos is 7.24 times as massive as Deimos...
. The 115-kg (250-lb) Yinghuo-1 probe was intended to orbit Mars for around two years, studying the planet's surface, atmosphere, ionosphere
Ionosphere
The ionosphere is a part of the upper atmosphere, comprising portions of the mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere, distinguished because it is ionized by solar radiation. It plays an important part in atmospheric electricity and forms the inner edge of the magnetosphere...
and magnetic field
Magnetic field
A magnetic field is a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude ; as such it is a vector field.Technically, a magnetic field is a pseudo vector;...
. Shortly after launch, Fobos-Grunt was expected to perform two burns to depart Earth orbit bound for Mars. However, these burns did not take place, leaving the probe stranded in orbit. On 17 November 2011, Chinese state media reported that the probe had been declared lost by the CNSA
CNSA
CNSA may refer to:* China National Space Administration* China National School of Administration* Canadian Nursing Students' Association* California Nursing Student Association...
.
Name
Yinghuo-1's name ( – fireflyFirefly
Lampyridae is a family of insects in the beetle order Coleoptera. They are winged beetles, and commonly called fireflies or lightning bugs for their conspicuous crepuscular use of bioluminescence to attract mates or prey. Fireflies produce a "cold light", with no infrared or ultraviolet frequencies...
, literally "luminous fire") was a tribute to the near-homophone
Homophone
A homophone is a word that is pronounced the same as another word but differs in meaning. The words may be spelled the same, such as rose and rose , or differently, such as carat, caret, and carrot, or to, two, and too. Homophones that are spelled the same are also both homographs and homonyms...
yinghuo . This word, literally meaning "shimmering confusion", is an ancient Chinese name for Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
.
Background
On 26 March 2007, the director of the China National Space AdministrationChina National Space Administration
The China National Space Administration is the national space agency of the People's Republic of China responsible for the national space program. It is responsible for planning and development of space activities...
, Sun Laiyan
Sun Laiyan
Sun Laiyan is the current Administrator of the China National Space Administration . He was appointed to this position in 2004.-Biography:...
, and the head of the Russian Space Agency, Anatoly Perminov
Anatoly Perminov
Dr. Prof. Anatoly Nikolayevich Perminov is a Russian rocket scientist and a mechanical engineer. He served as the General Director of Russian Federal Space Agency in 2004–2011.-Career:...
, signed a landmark space co-operation accord, entitled the "Cooperative Agreement between the China National Space Administration and the Russian Space Agency on joint Chinese-Russian exploration of Mars". One stipulation of the agreement was the construction and launch of the Yinghuo probe and its Russian counterpart, Fobos-Grunt.
Instruments and objectives
Yinghuo-1's primary scientific objectives were:- To conduct detailed investigation of the plasma environment and magnetic fieldMagnetic fieldA magnetic field is a mathematical description of the magnetic influence of electric currents and magnetic materials. The magnetic field at any given point is specified by both a direction and a magnitude ; as such it is a vector field.Technically, a magnetic field is a pseudo vector;...
; - To study Martian ion escape processes and their possible mechanisms;
- To conduct ionosphere occultationOccultationAn occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden by another object that passes between it and the observer. The word is used in astronomy . It can also refer to any situation wherein an object in the foreground blocks from view an object in the background...
measurements between Yinghuo-1 and Fobos-Grunt, focusing on the sub-solar and midnight regions; - To observe sandstormSandstormSandstorm can refer to:* Dust storm, a storm caused by strong winds and blowing sand or dust* "Sandstorm" , a trance song by Darude* "Sandstorm" , a song on Cast's debut album, All Change...
s on the Martian surface.
The probe's scientific payload consisted of a four primary instrument packages:
- A plasmaPlasmaPlasma may refer to:* Blood plasma, the yellow-colored liquid component of blood, in which blood cells are suspended* Plasma , an ionized state of matter similar to a gas...
package, consisting of an electronElectronThe electron is a subatomic particle with a negative elementary electric charge. It has no known components or substructure; in other words, it is generally thought to be an elementary particle. An electron has a mass that is approximately 1/1836 that of the proton...
analyzer, ionIonAn ion is an atom or molecule in which the total number of electrons is not equal to the total number of protons, giving it a net positive or negative electrical charge. The name was given by physicist Michael Faraday for the substances that allow a current to pass between electrodes in a...
analyzer and mass spectrometer; - A fluxgate magnetometer;
- A radio-occultation sounder;
- An optical imaging system, consisting of two cameras with 200m resolution, allowing high-quality images of the Martian surface to be captured from orbit.
Mission profile
Following its transit to Mars, Yinghuo-1 was planned to separate from Fobos-Grunt in October 2012 and enter a 72.8-hour equatorial Martian orbit, with an orbital inclination of approximately 5 degreesDegree (angle)
A degree , usually denoted by ° , is a measurement of plane angle, representing 1⁄360 of a full rotation; one degree is equivalent to π/180 radians...
. Fobos-Grunt and Yinghuo-1 would have conducted Mars ionosphere
Ionosphere
The ionosphere is a part of the upper atmosphere, comprising portions of the mesosphere, thermosphere and exosphere, distinguished because it is ionized by solar radiation. It plays an important part in atmospheric electricity and forms the inner edge of the magnetosphere...
occultation
Occultation
An occultation is an event that occurs when one object is hidden by another object that passes between it and the observer. The word is used in astronomy . It can also refer to any situation wherein an object in the foreground blocks from view an object in the background...
experiments together, although Fobos-Grunt's primary objective was to obtain surface samples from the Martian moon Phobos
Phobos (moon)
Phobos is the larger and closer of the two natural satellites of Mars. Both moons were discovered in 1877. With a mean radius of , Phobos is 7.24 times as massive as Deimos...
. Yinghuo-1 would have experienced periods of up to 8.8 hours in darkness when its orbit carried it over Mars' nightside; it would have run on reserve power during these periods, as its solar panels would have been unusable without direct sunlight.
Launch processing
On 17 October 2011, the completed Yinghuo-1 satellite arrived at Baikonur Cosmodrome with Fobos-Grunt, beginning payload processing operations in preparation for its November launch.Launch and orbital burn failure
China's Yinghuo-1 and the Russian Fobos-Grunt spacecraft were launched together aboard a UkrainianUkraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
Zenit rocket
Zenit rocket
Zenit is a family of space launch vehicles designed by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau of Ukraine. Zenit was built in the 1980s for two purposes: as a liquid rocket booster for the Energia rocket and, equipped with a second stage, as a stand-alone rocket...
with a Fregat
Fregat
Fregat is a type of rocket stage developed by NPO Lavochkin in the 1990s. Its main engine is a liquid propellant rocket that uses UDMH and N2O4 as propellants.- Specifications :...
upper stage from Baikonur Cosmodrome
Baikonur Cosmodrome
The Baikonur Cosmodrome , also called Tyuratam, is the world's first and largest operational space launch facility. It is located in the desert steppe of Kazakhstan, about east of the Aral Sea, north of the Syr Darya river, near Tyuratam railway station, at 90 meters above sea level...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, on 8 November 2011. Shortly after launch, Fobos-Grunt was expected to perform two burns to depart Earth orbit and begin its journey to Mars. However, these burns did not take place, stranding the two spacecraft in their parking orbit. Despite repeated efforts to contact Fobos-Grunt and rectify the problem, the spacecraft continued to lose altitude, risking deorbit if the malfunctioning engines could not be restarted. On 17 November, Chinese state media formally declared the probe lost.
Specifications
- Length: 0.75 metres (2.5 ft) (excluding solar panels).
- Width: 0.75 metres (2.5 ft).
- Height: 0.6 metres (2 ft).
- Mass: 115 kilograms (253.5 lb).
- Power: 3-axis stabilised, 2×3 section solar arrayPhotovoltaic moduleA solar panel is a packaged, connected assembly of solar cells, also known as photovoltaic cells...
with a full-extended length of 5.6 metres (18.4 ft), providing average power of 90 W, and peak power of 180 W. - HGAHigh-gain antennaA high-gain antenna is an antenna with a focused, narrow radiowave beam width. This narrow beam width allows more precise targeting of the radio signal - also known as a directional antenna...
: 950 mm antenna dish (S-band) with a 12 W transmitter in two frequencies (8.4 and 7.17 GHz) and a data rate between 8 bps and 16 kbps. - LGALow-gain antennaA low-gain antenna is an antenna with a broad radiowave beam width. This very wide beam allows for a more reliable signal that is best used in mountainous regions, where the signal will propagate reasonably well regardless of terrain. The mountains become the equivalent of rocks in a stream,...
: 80 bit/s data rate.
See also
- China National Space Agency
- Chinese Lunar Exploration ProgramChinese Lunar Exploration ProgramChinese Lunar Exploration Program , also known as the Chang'e program, is a program of robotic and human missions to the Moon undertaken by the China National Space Administration , the space agency of the People's Republic of China...
- Exploration of MarsExploration of MarsThe exploration of Mars has been an important part of the space exploration programs of the Soviet Union, the United States, Europe, and Japan. Dozens of robotic spacecraft, including orbiters, landers, and rovers, have been launched toward Mars since the 1960s...
- Robotic spacecraftRobotic spacecraftA robotic spacecraft is a spacecraft with no humans on board, that is usually under telerobotic control. A robotic spacecraft designed to make scientific research measurements is often called a space probe. Many space missions are more suited to telerobotic rather than crewed operation, due to...
- Roscosmos
External links
- Fobos-Grunt at Spacefiles.com. Includes an image of Yinghuo-1.