Advisor to Russian Moon mission is rushed to hospital
7 hours ago
A top astronomer who worked on Russia's failed space expedition has been rushed to hospital following the Luna-25 spacecraft's crash into the surface of the Moon.
Mikhail Marov, 90, who was described as a key consultant to the mission, suffered a 'sharp deterioration' in his health following the crash.
The Luna-25 unmanned space vessel span out of control and crashed into the surface of the Moon on 19 August during Russia's first lunar expedition in 47 years.
Marov's health condition arose after he called for an investigation into the expedition's failure.
Russian sources are already blaming endemic corruption inside the country's space agency for the failure of the mission.
The Luna-25 expedition's failure is now expected to trigger a blame game, which is in turn expected to see Putin fire those he holds responsible for Russia's humiliation.
Professor Marov, an ardent proponent for the moon mission, was devastated by the failed landing, and made clear this was the reason for his sudden hospitalisation in Moscow's elite Central Clinical Hospital (TsKB).
The RUssian professor is a giant of spaceship design, and an expert on Mars, Venus and the Moon.
He made clear Luna-25 was his 'last hope to see the revival of our lunar programme' and this was now dashed.
'It's sad that we didn't manage to land the device,' he said.
He is now calling for a full transparency as to the reasons the Luna-25 expedition ended in failure.
'There was a mistake in the algorithms for launching into near-lunar orbit,' he said. 'It must be found.
'For the specialists who will be involved in the work of the commission, this will not be a big problem. I think the answer will be found in the foreseeable future.'
From hospital Marov - a Soviet-era space giant - told reporters: 'I am under observation.
'How can I not worry?
'This has been very much a matter of my life. It's all very hard.'
Professor Marov called for Russia to continue with its efforts to go into space and land on the moon.
The unmanned Luna-25 spacecraft spun out of control as it was being prepared for pre-landing.
'The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the Moon,' admitted Roscosmos, the Russian space agency.
It was the most ambitious space project of Putin's almost 24 years as either president or prime minister, underlining the country's demise since the heady days of the Cold War when Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space.
Russia had not attempted a moon mission since Luna-24 in 1976, when Communist leader Leonid Brezhnev ruled the Kremlin.
Yury Borisov, a Putin-loyalist and ex-deputy premier who is now at the helm of the Russian Space Agency, could now see his future in the agency put in jeopardy
Mr Borisov is accused of ending probes into corruption and misuse of budgets at the space agency.
7 hours ago
A top astronomer who worked on Russia's failed space expedition has been rushed to hospital following the Luna-25 spacecraft's crash into the surface of the Moon.
Mikhail Marov, 90, who was described as a key consultant to the mission, suffered a 'sharp deterioration' in his health following the crash.
The Luna-25 unmanned space vessel span out of control and crashed into the surface of the Moon on 19 August during Russia's first lunar expedition in 47 years.
Marov's health condition arose after he called for an investigation into the expedition's failure.
Russian sources are already blaming endemic corruption inside the country's space agency for the failure of the mission.
The Luna-25 expedition's failure is now expected to trigger a blame game, which is in turn expected to see Putin fire those he holds responsible for Russia's humiliation.
Professor Marov, an ardent proponent for the moon mission, was devastated by the failed landing, and made clear this was the reason for his sudden hospitalisation in Moscow's elite Central Clinical Hospital (TsKB).
The RUssian professor is a giant of spaceship design, and an expert on Mars, Venus and the Moon.
He made clear Luna-25 was his 'last hope to see the revival of our lunar programme' and this was now dashed.
'It's sad that we didn't manage to land the device,' he said.
He is now calling for a full transparency as to the reasons the Luna-25 expedition ended in failure.
'There was a mistake in the algorithms for launching into near-lunar orbit,' he said. 'It must be found.
'For the specialists who will be involved in the work of the commission, this will not be a big problem. I think the answer will be found in the foreseeable future.'
From hospital Marov - a Soviet-era space giant - told reporters: 'I am under observation.
'How can I not worry?
'This has been very much a matter of my life. It's all very hard.'
Professor Marov called for Russia to continue with its efforts to go into space and land on the moon.
The unmanned Luna-25 spacecraft spun out of control as it was being prepared for pre-landing.
'The apparatus moved into an unpredictable orbit and ceased to exist as a result of a collision with the surface of the Moon,' admitted Roscosmos, the Russian space agency.
It was the most ambitious space project of Putin's almost 24 years as either president or prime minister, underlining the country's demise since the heady days of the Cold War when Yuri Gagarin became the first man in space.
Russia had not attempted a moon mission since Luna-24 in 1976, when Communist leader Leonid Brezhnev ruled the Kremlin.
Yury Borisov, a Putin-loyalist and ex-deputy premier who is now at the helm of the Russian Space Agency, could now see his future in the agency put in jeopardy
Mr Borisov is accused of ending probes into corruption and misuse of budgets at the space agency.
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Summary
Top Russian astronomer Mikhail Marov, key consultant for Luna-25 moon mission, hospitalized after spacecraft's crash. Marov, 90, expressed concern over the failure and called for an investigation into the cause of the crash, citing a mistake in algorithms during launch as a possible culprit. The