A failed probe designed to travel to a moon of Mars but stuck in Earth’s orbit came crashing down in the Pacific Ocean late Sunday, RIA-Novosti reported. Up until the last moments it was unclear where the unmanned, 14-ton Fobos-Grunt would fall. So the crash of the probe with its 11 tons of toxic rocket fuel into the ocean would be a relief to Russian space officials, disappointed over this setback to the Russian space industry.  (AP, MT)

... matter for two years has designed a basic concept for cooperation with the help of military professionals from both sides. The new proposal by the Euro-Atlantic Security Commission says the United States, NATO and Russia could share data from radars and satellites about missile attacks and so provide one another with a more complete picture of any attack than countries would have on their own. But the parties would remain responsible for shooting down any missiles that threaten them. They would keep...

... reliance on Russia for energy leaves it vulnerable to "unhealthy" political pressure from Moscow. Russia drew Washington's fury on Saturday when it vetoed a UN Security Council resolution on Syria. Clinton will also encourage the former Soviet satellite to share its experiences in moving to democracy with Arab nations emerging from authoritarian rule. (AP)

... thousand times. They should seek the advice of many, many specialists. And only then they should make a decision. I did not see thorough analysis here. The consequences could be dangerous both in their cost and in their inefficiency. My opinion is that satellite cities — science cities — need to be developed around Moscow, and new centers to attract investment need to be created. Those satellites have to be connected to Moscow by unique means of transportation so people can get to the capital...

... classified information in exchange for money, the Federal Security Service said. The agency said Nesterets committed treason while he worked as a senior engineer at the Plesetsk launch pad in northwestern Russia, a facility the military uses to launch satellites and test its new missile systems. The security service's terse statement did not say when Nesterets had been arrested or give any further details about his case. RIA-Novosti quoted the officer's wife, Irina, as saying she could not understand...

... Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has not sent observers, after deciding in December that its presence would not "add value," given the limited freedoms and lack of political competition. Russian television channels, picked up by satellite dishes, are a rare connection with the outside world in a country where Facebook and YouTube are blocked. After winning the last presidential election in February 2007, Berdymukhammedov began gradually dismantling the often bizarre cult of...

... whatever crosses his mind. If the authorities have facts, then the Prosecutor General's Office should open up a criminal case. Otherwise, it is all reckless babble. A similar thing happened recently when the Federal Space Agency chief claimed that Russian satellites are falling down to Earth because of intervention from dark forces, implying the West. Of course, it sometimes happens that whatever the prosecutor says later becomes fact. This was the case with Josef Stalin's infamous chief prosecutor, Andrei...

... radars located in Alaska." But Rogozin conceded that Russia's recent failures in space could be caused by "defects in equipment that was produced about 12 to 13 years ago," Interfax reported. Since December 2010, Russia has lost five satellites and one spacecraft, including Fobos-Grunt, Newsru.com reported in late November. A source in the aerospace industry told Kommersant that the commission investigating the probe's crash was also checking whether "a physical failure or...