RUSSIAN MARS PROBE MISFIRES.Byline: Lynn Berry Lynn Berry was the editor-in-chief of The Moscow Times, the leading English-language daily in Russia, until June 2006. She was replaced by former deputy editor Andrew McChesney. Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. Russia's celebrated mission to Mars failed early today shortly after the rocket blasted off into space, military space forces said. The failure represents a serious setback for the struggling Russian space program, which was counting on the Mars '96 probe to give it a new lease on life. Space force officials refused immediate explanation of what went wrong after the four-stage Proton booster lifted off at 11:48 p.m. (12:48 p.m. PST PST Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia, see there ) Saturday from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakstan, the Interfax news agency said. At the space tracking center in Evpatoriya in Ukraine, officials said the first three stages fired properly and the problems arose during the fourth stage, Interfax reported. Space control has lost contact with the spacecraft, which was in orbit around the Earth, Interfax said. The probe is expected to re-enter re·en·ter also re-en·ter v. re·en·tered, re·en·ter·ing, re·en·ters v.tr. 1. To enter or come in to again. 2. To record again on a list or ledger. v.intr. the Earth's atmosphere within 30 days and burn up, it said, quoting space official Vladimir Molodtsov. ``It is a very serious setback for world exploration of Mars The exploration of Mars has been an important part of the space exploration programs of the Soviet Union (later Russia), the United States, Europe, and Japan. Dozens of robotic spacecraft, including orbiters, landers, and rovers, have been launched toward Mars since the 1960s. , and in particular for the Russian space program,'' said James Oberg, an American specialist on Russian space activities. ``They are trying to show they still had the right stuff and they don't.'' The 480 million-mile trip to Mars would have taken the spacecraft, which consists of an orbiter and four landers, 10 months to complete. With new evidence suggesting there may have been life on Mars Scientists have long speculated about the possibility of life on Mars owing to the planet's proximity and similarity to Earth. It remains an open question whether life exists on Mars now, or existed there in the past. , Earth's nearest planetary neighbor, interest in the Red Planet has never been higher. Several nations, including the United States, France and Germany, sent scientific instruments to Mars aboard the Russian spacecraft. According to Oberg, the Russian space program ran short of time getting Mars '96 ready for launch. |
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