*Updated* - ISS bound freighter lost

[flyingswan]

A Soyuz launch vehicle has just failed to deliver a Progress re-supply cargo ship to the International Space Station. With the ending of the Shuttle programme, the Soyuz is now the prime vehicle for delivering both crews and cargo.

This is the first Progress failure in a programme going back to 1978.

You couldn't make this up.

[The Caspian Hare]

Yeah, it's quite embarrassing and unfortunate.

http://news.yahoo.com/russian-supply-ship-space-station-crashes-172337040.html

[StoneSmasher]

Glad it was unmanned.

[Still Waters]

The unmanned ship was carrying oxygen, food and fuel to six astronauts on the International Space Station when it blew apart in a thunderous explosion.

A Russian supply ship bound for the International Space Station blew apart in a thunderous explosion over Siberia on Wednesday.

The Progress supply ship, which was unmanned, was carrying more than 2.5 tons of oxygen, food and fuel to the six astronauts aboard the space station. In the third stage of the rocket firing the ship into space it failed to reach its planned orbit, lighting up the skies with a spectacular blast 325 seconds into the launch.

It had been launched from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. State news agency RIA Novosti quoted Alexander Borisov, head of a the Choisky region in Russia's Altai province, as saying pieces of the craft fell in his area some 900 miles northeast of the launch site.

"The explosion was so strong that for 60 miles glass almost flew out of the windows," he was quoted as saying. No one on the ground appeared to have been hurt by flying debris, he said.

The Russian Emergencies Ministry and Roscosmos officials could not be reached for comment.

Read more...

[Xanthurion2]

that sucks

[Persia]

The second embarrassing loss of a Russian space vehicle in a week spells trouble for Russia's space program and its ability to maintain the International Space Station.

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Europe/2011/0825/Russian-spacecraft-falls-from-the-sky.-Is-the-International-Space-Station-in-trouble

[Sakari]

How would you like to be a cosmonaut slated to go up on the next scheduled launch?

What a waste of money this is if you ask me.......

[MID]

How would you like to be a cosmonaut slated to go up on the next scheduled launch?

You'd have to ask the two Russians, and the American who are scheduled to launch on 9-21-11, pending resolution of the Progress anomaly.

I think they're all looking forward to it.

What a waste of money this is if you ask me.......

What is?

[DONTEATUS]

Me too Mid ! I cant believe that a logical person would not understand the importance of the ISS and Space exploration of man ! We get so much for our investment in all our future its almost endless!

We could never put too much funding into our future ! We need this program to even survive on this world. ITs where we will get our chances to understand better the earth,and our resources that we are using at such a rapid speed!

Time to Look up !

[Sakari]

You'd have to ask the two Russians, and the American who are scheduled to launch on 9-21-11, pending resolution of the Progress anomaly.

I think they're all looking forward to it.

What is?

I am just saying they have balls.....( compliment )

Me too Mid ! I cant believe that a logical person would not understand the importance of the ISS and Space exploration of man ! We get so much for our investment in all our future its almost endless!

We could never put too much funding into our future ! We need this program to even survive on this world. ITs where we will get our chances to understand better the earth,and our resources that we are using at such a rapid speed!

Time to Look up !

I will give that I do not even have a clue of what space exploration is doing to help " us ", so maybe I should not have been so judgemental.

From my admitted lack of intel on the matter, I think there are more important things to be using " our " money on....Look at our Debt.

( I know it is Russia not the US )

[ScienceDominates]

I will give that I do not even have a clue of what space exploration is doing to help " us ", so maybe I should not have been so judgemental.

From my admitted lack of intel on the matter, I think there are more important things to be using " our " money on....Look at our Debt.

( I know it is Russia not the US )

There are many ways, to help you understand a few points, I'll give you this resource which is recent http://www.reddit.com/r/space/comments/jxgpw/so_what_is_so_good_about_space_exploration/ Provides links to some interesting videos. If you wanted to expand on that question I suppose we can, here, too.

[Still Waters]

Update-

The Russian space agency says a rocket that failed while carrying cargo to the International Space Station on 24 August had a production line defect.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14852534

[MedicTJ]

Just a question here. I know the shuttle program is now done, but would it be feasible to keep one set up in the case of a dire emergency? I would think there has to be some kind of contingency in place to mount any type of rescue mission if the return vehicle itself were ever compromised.

[ScienceDominates]

Just a question here. I know the shuttle program is now done, but would it be feasible to keep one set up in the case of a dire emergency? I would think there has to be some kind of contingency in place to mount any type of rescue mission if the return vehicle itself were ever compromised.

Nope, they've been gutted and prepared for their moves to museums already

and

http://blogs.nature.com/news/2011/09/soyuz_fault_found_1.html

[ShadowSot]

Just a question here. I know the shuttle program is now done, but would it be feasible to keep one set up in the case of a dire emergency? I would think there has to be some kind of contingency in place to mount any type of rescue mission if the return vehicle itself were ever compromised.

The Russians have more than one Soyuz craft.

As far as I know, though, the other shuttles have already been made museum pieces now,.