 observatory in Alaska interfered with the Mars-bound Phobos-Grunt probe. HAARP is often a target of conspiracy theorists.)
HF ANTENNA ARRAY: A retired commander of Russia's ballistic missile early warning system implied that the U.S.'s High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) observatory in Alaska interfered with the Mars-bound Phobos-Grunt probe. HAARP is often a target of conspiracy theorists.
Image: Courtesy of the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP)
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After 19 attempts over 51 years, Russia has yet to chalk up a fully successful mission to Mars. That includes its ambitious Phobos–Grunt probe, launched November 8 from Kazakhstan and now stranded in low Earth orbit. Unable to regain control of the spacecraft, the Russians now expect it to fall back to Earth around January 9.
Responding to shame over the nation's Mars program, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has threatened to criminally prosecute those responsible if possible. Soon after Medvedev's comments, a former high-ranking Russian officer found a more convenient scapegoat in a remote Alaskan radar facility. But an analysis of the timing and physics involved shows that there is little basis for the claim.
Phobos–Grunt was to retrieve soil ("grunt" in Russian) from the Martian moon Phobos and return it to Earth for study. But the rocket engine intended to boost the spacecraft into a higher orbit failed. The probe itself has since communicated only sporadically with ground stations, and even then it has murmured only unintelligible noise.
To Lt. Gen. Nikolay Rodionov, a retired commander of Russia's ballistic missile early warning system, U.S. technology could have caused the rocket malfunction. In a November 24 interview with the Russian news agency Interfax, Rodionov said "powerful American radars" in Alaska "could have influenced the control systems of our interplanetary rover."
Rodionov was quoted saying the U.S. wants to use the ionosphere as part of its missile defense, although he did not elaborate. A subsequent article in India's The Hindu expanded on Rodionov's statement, indicating that he was likely referring to the U.S.'s High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) observatory established in 1993.
The HAARP research station sits on an Air Force–owned site in Gakona, Alaska, and falls under the aegis of a number of federal and state agencies, primarily the Air Force Research Laboratory's Space Vehicles Directorate. HAARP scientists have developed the project and the site's instrumentation with help from several U.S. universities and educational institutions—in particular, the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
HAARP performs active and passive radar experiments on the ionosphere, a layer of charged particles stretching from 50 to 1,000 kilometers above Earth. The main goal is to better understand the layer, which has been used almost since the invention of radio to bounce signals far past the horizon, extending a signal's range. The ionosphere does not always reflect signals in a predictable manner, however, which makes it a bit of a gamble for those wanting to use it to communicate critical information. Increasing, standardizing or augmenting that effect could have potent commercial and military applications, such as potentially using reflected signals to probe underground or underwater and even to communicate with submarines.
Given HAARP's main goal of studying how signals are reflected, in the hopes of improving long-range communications, the station fires a radar beam to excite a localized patch of the ionosphere and uses passive devices in Gakona and elsewhere to examine the effects. HAARP scientists essentially are examining the resonant interaction between the radio waves and charged particles. HAARP "is like sticking your finger in a river, and by watching the water flow around your finger you can learn things about the river," such as its flow speed and its temperature, says Morris Cohen, a research scientist at Stanford University whose Ph.D. thesis was about HAARP experiments.
Whereas similar radar facilities exist in Norway, Russia, Peru and other locations, HAARP is one of the most powerful. Its Ionospheric Research Instrument (IRI) puts out a maximum of 3.6 megawatts sending signals at 2.8 to 10 MHz—powerful enough heat up a small (on a global scale) but measurable part of the ionosphere. The energy being added to the area can be measured in several ways, including gauging how much the section expands when it is heated and how it glows. Both effects are incredibly subtle, requiring highly sensitive equipment to record it, and they're orders of magnitude less powerful than the effects of ordinary solar weather that constantly bombards the ionosphere.
But is the transmitter powerful enough to have fried the electronics of Russia's Mars mission?
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32 Comments
Add CommentSemi-democracies like Russia, where the media is mostly muzzled, find it hard not to resort to propaganda to justify their failures.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisEven if the craft had been disabled by HAARP, it would only be an indicator of grossly inadequate shielding. If it had managed to get on its way to Phobos, it would have been destroyed by cosmic rays as soon as it left the protection of Earth's magnetic field.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisA program with an 0-for-19 record has no business pointing fingers at outside agencies. I'm going to go out on a limb here and say their problem is internal.
"HAARP routinely points itself at full power towards certain satellites" - just to see what will happen? :)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisNo matter how semi-democratic or probably worse then that Russia (or any other country) is - no one still with any healthy reason can believe that american taxpayers are paying huge money for HAARP project for decades now, just so that some nice scientists can routinely poke the Ionosphere and see what goes on.
And all of that to extend the 'range of communications'.. Really, come on people.. :) Even school kids see through this kind of reasoning, for at least 20 years now.
Oldvic: I think the retired Russian general was just repaying an old debt to a space scientist friend.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMadScientist: It might be an internal problem. I'll decide at 0-21, my lucky number.
Amici: You're on to something there.
If science can't figure something in the time it takes a CSI episode to hang the murder on the Swedish diplomat, it isn't worth knowing. That or it's an obvious cover for the guv'mint. Brings to mind all the money we keep shoveling into cancer research.
Neat and Tidy in 2012!
It will always be a matter of speculations until the Chinese intercepted a probe, Saddam was killed, Ghadaffi was killed and the Iranians caught a drone, perhaps the Russian will need to capture of of 'em scientists and obtain a sign confession because the USA will always be in denial...
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisSpot on Amici!
I'd like to see an article about HARP and other energy injection schemes into the magnetosphere specifically designed for weather/ climate change experimentation. The US as well as other countries (including the Soviet Union/ Russia) have been actively engaged in this research for over 30 years with stations located near and about the North and South Poles. It is also possible that the amount of the Sun's radiation impacting the earth is being modulated by our 50/60Hz power grids, most of which are close to magnetospheric ducts in the high latitudes of North America and Europe. It is well known that low frequency electromagnetic energy broadcast through the magnetospheric ducts interact with upper atmospheric particles causing among other (strange) characteristics frequency shifting, particle re-orientation, and can operate has a high Q filter resulting in signal amplification (see Whistler Effects; also research conducted by Stanford's Radioscience Lab).
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThe amount of energy radiated by a (HARP) antenna at the ground over a frequency spectrum is not necessarily the frequency experienced a particular frequency in the magnetosphere.
What was the altitude of the Russian satellite? Was it passing through magnetospheric ducts? What amount of energy was it exposed to at what frequencies?
Not uh, big on science are you? Yes, we can believe that American's have paid for the Alaskan station for over 20 years. That's how long term analysis works: you gather data over, get this,a LONG TERM span of time.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCall me crazy, but I believe a country with 19 failures out of 19 is embarassed and looking for anything to cast a shadow of doubt on their own liability.
If the United States had a reason to commit sabotage on the science/space program of the Soviet Union, why do they continue to travel to and from the Space Station? Why has it not yet become crippled and unable to do anything but occupy a decaying orbit?
Take it with a grain of salt: Not everything bad that happens in this world is the fault of the United States. Those that would have you believe this also read the tabloids searching for those of higher stature failing at some undertaking, and gaining great pleasure out of this. Hint: jealousy.
Although it most likely is not HAARP (or anything the US did). It would be wrong to completely dismiss the chance that Grunt was taken down maliciously by us, or another power (China?).
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI highly doubt foreign sabotage has anything to do with the problem- but I could conceive the possibility of one or more nations wanting to stifle the astral ambitions of a rival.
Say speculatively- if China wanted to test the ability to stop communications with a rocket- would make sense to make the attempt against a neutred Russia- than the US. Russia no longer has the means to punnish them.
Nonetheless, don't want to seem like a conspiracy theory nutjob. I doubt it was sabotage- but there is a sliver of a possibility.
This story reads like disinformation psyop. Scalar electromagnetic weapons technology possessed by the U.S. and other industrialized nations spawns awesome energy of variable amplitude via the precision-targeted intersection of triangulated scalar or longitudinal electromagnetic waves. This technnology, a variant of HAARP, is not a linear "beam" system. The energy is created from a near- zero point vacuum state at the point of intersection of these out-of-phase waves. An electromagnetic weapon system capable of attacking human or military targets is deployed on cell tower masts nationwide and has been misrepresented and camouflaged as "multi-intelligence fusion surveillance," says this veteran journalist: http://nowpublic.com/world/u-s-silently-tortures-americans-cell-tower-microwave-weapon
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisI thought that HAARP is intended to activate a genetic bomb.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisGet out yer tinfoil hats!!!
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHAARP is guarded by the likes of South Park's Officer Barbrady who always says, "Ok, folks move on. There's nothing to see here."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thislike North America
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisThere are two arguments against the Russian accusations:
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this1. The orbit of Phobos-Grunt was passing from Baikonur to the South America, thousands kilometers away (not 200-400 overhead) from Alaska, and below the horizon.
2. Two weeks later, on November 22, there were communications between Phobos-Grunt and European and Russian space agencies, it would be impossible with the burned up electronics.
Phobos-Grunt has flown between 200 and 400 km.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIn an infinite universe, everything is possible. Like being a conspiracy nutjob.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"american taxpayers are paying huge money for HAARP project for decades now,"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisApproximately $300 million over 20 years - Or something like 5 cents per year for each American citizen. And in return you're getting research to benefit communications systems such as satellite-based television and phones.
Huge amounts...
"american taxpayers are paying huge money for HAARP project for decades now,"
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisApproximately $300 million over 20 years, or about 5 cents every year for each American citizen. And in return you're getting a better understanding of space weather which affects satellite-based communication systems and power grids. Yeah, huge amounts of money for no real purpose...
"This story reads like disinformation psyop."
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOf course. Everything that says you're wrong must be disinformation. Take off the tinfoil hat for a minute, will you?
"Scalar electromagnetic weapons technology possessed by the U.S. and other industrialized nations spawns awesome energy of variable amplitude via the precision-targeted intersection of triangulated scalar or longitudinal electromagnetic waves. This technnology, a variant of HAARP, is not a linear "beam" system. The energy is created from a near- zero point vacuum state at the point of intersection of these out-of-phase waves."
This doesn't make a lick of sense, it's just a string of scientific-sounding words meant to confuse the scientifically illiterate like yourself. It's total nonsense.
Had General Radionov made his statement in North America, he would have had to present evidence or risk being laughed at nationwide by the media.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisCritics of democracy too often forget that they can criticise it safely exactly because they live in a democracy. Constructive criticism is legitimate and necessary to move things forward, but sadly many leave out the "constructive" part.
By the way, I'm not defending my lady here: I live in Western Europe.
Speaking of "mind control", this article is a good example of how to silence criticism from otherwise intelligent people -- Play to their sense of intellectual superiority, something that resides in many intelligent folks as a deep seated emotional "truth". This article laughingly references a goofy "conspiracy" site, thus encouraging the oh-so-brilliant readers of Scientific American to dismiss any and all questions that might arise about government funded weapons research. Very clever, Dr. Strangelove. :)
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisMission accomplished.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisOh you're talking about 1960s or 1970s America. Not any more. These days if you have the media in line there will be no questions. And for the most part, the powers that be DO have the media in line.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this"the mark of an educated mind is to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it" Aristotle
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIm finding a lot of "educated people" with extremely narrow minds these days,if no one entertained the idea of the world being round we might not be sitting here having this conversation. Good on you David for toying with a possibility.
There are two kinds of fools: those who believe everything and those who believe nothing. Disbelieving is no more an indication of intelligence than is believing an indication of stupidity.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisIt's more important to examine *why* you believe what you do. In an utter absence of evidence, some people believe HAARP accomplishes some insidious and outlandish things. You can parse the language of this article until you are blue in the face, but unless you decide to believe uncorroborated claims, the arithmetic of the piece stands on its own. Merely saying it's false or sounds fishy is not an argument.
It's wishful thinking.
Here's my wish: That someone would post -- right here and right now -- a verifiable claim to support wild speculation. No one is stopping you. No one is censoring you. If you can't move on. Move on to the hollow-Earth theory, maybe. But give this a rest.
Grunt was carrying a chinese satellite.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHAARP is what cause the holes in the ozone.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHAARP's method of ground sonar can and has caused earthquakes, and can affect weather. Scientist are manipulating the electrosphere, with very little transparency.
The ozone would heal itself quite rapidly if we would leave it alone. Rockets blasting through the ozone cause temporary holes, there are plenty of reasons, the lesser reasons are being presented as the most grievous.
Want to confirm this yourself? Compare the condition of the polar ice caps with the timeline of HAARP progress.
By this logic, HAARP's also responsible for hair loss, obesity and the Khardasians.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisWant to confirm this yourself? Compare the condition of the polar ice caps with the timeline of HAARP progress.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this---
Someone who has yet to learn that coincidence is not causality.
Take your meds.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHalve the dose or double, but do something. You are bringing the show down.
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this@Amici
Reply | Report Abuse | Link to thisHow could Russians fund 19 'failed' missions to mars!?! Clearly something much more sinister must be going on!!!!
As for HAARP, send in the Russian equivalent to James Bond! And while he is in Alaska he can add more flouride to the water, nothing like poisoning your 'enemies' precious life essence.
Sorry, I just broke through HAARP's mind control!!! ALL SCIENCE IS EBIL!!!! LAUNCH THE NUKES!!! BLAST US BACK INTO THE GOOD OLE DAYS OF CAVES AND CLUBS!