1 of 40
Phobos-Grunt Nearing Mars Moon Phobos
Credit: Roscosmos
An artist's concept of the Phobos-Grunt spacecraft nearing the Martian moon Phobos, something the failed probe never got to do.
2 of 40
Phobos-Grunt Imaged by Fraunhofer FHR
Credit: Fraunhofer FHR
The Fraunhofer Institute for High Frequency Physics and Radar Techniques FHR in Wachtberg, Germany has produced this image of Phobos-Grunt, created with the TIRA space observation radar. One can clearly see the extended solar panels (center) and the tank ring (bottom).
3 of 40
Phobos-Grunt Captured in Video
Credit: Thierry Legault
The failed Russian mission to one of Mars' small moons was captured by Thierry Legault and Emmanuel Rietsch (http://legault.perso.sfr.fr) on video, New Year's Day 2012.
4 of 40
The Fall of Russia's Mars Probe Phobos-Grunt (Infographic)
Credit: SPACE.com/Karl Tate
Failed Russian Mars probe Phobos-Grunt, trapped in Earth orbit since launch, is expected to re-enter the atmosphere in January, 2012.
5 of 40
Phobos-Grunt Projected Re-entry Map
Credit: Russian Federal Space Agency
The failed Russian Mars probe Phobos-Grunt is predicted to crash back to Earth between Jan. 14 and Jan. 16, 2012. The spacecraft will fall somewhere between 51.4 degrees north latitude and 51.4 degrees south latitude, as shown in the diagram.
6 of 40
Phobos-Grunt Spacecraft Photographed on Dec. 28, 2011
Credit: Ralf Vandebergh
Astrophotographer Ralf Vandebergh took this image of Russia's Phobos-Grunt probe on Dec. 28, 2011, as the troubled spacecraft flew over Europe.
7 of 40
Planetary Society's Phobos LIFE Biomodule Test Version
Credit: Bruce Betts/The Planetary Society
The Planetary Society's Phobos LIFE biomodule is carried within the Phobos-Grunt’s re-entry capsule. Shown here is a test model used to fabricate the final LIFE hardware.
8 of 40
Phobos-Grunt Launches Toward Mars Moon Phobos
Credit: German Aerospace Center (DLR)
A Zenit rocket launches into space carrying Russia's Phobos-Grunt spacecraft toward Mars on a mission to collect samples of the Martian moon Phobos. Liftoff occured on Nov. 9, 2011 Local Time from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan (Nov. 8 EST).
9 of 40
Phobos-Grunt Minutes Before Launch
Russia's Phobos-Grunt spacecraft sits atop its Zenit rocket just minutes before blasting off on Nov. 8, 2011.
10 of 40
Phobos-Grunt Rocket Raised for Launch
Credit: Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)
The Zenit 2SB rocket carrying Russia's Phobos-Grunt spacecraft bound for Mars is raised into position for a planned Nov. 8, 2011 (EST) launch. The mission is aimed at retrieving samples of Phobos to scientists on Earth.
11 of 40
Mars Moon Phobos
Credit: Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)
Mars' largest moon Phobos, as seen during a recent flyby performed by the European spacecraft Mars Express.
12 of 40
Phobos-Grunt Spacecraft Mockup
Credit: CNES
This is a full-scale mockup of Russia's Phobos-Grunt. The spacecraft will collect samples of soil on Mar's moon Phobos and to bring the samples back to Earth for detailed study.
13 of 40
Russia's Phobos-Grunt Spacecraft
Credit: Lavochkin Research & Development
This image shows Russia's Phobos-Grunt spacecraft prior to its delivery for its planned Nov. 2011 launch toward to the Mars. The ambtious Russian mission aims to land a probe on Mars' moon Phobos, retrieve samples and return them to Earth.
14 of 40
Russia's Phobos-Grunt Mars Mission Phases
Credit: Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)
This Russian-language infographic from Russia's Federal Space Agency depicts the different phases of flight, landing, sample gathering and return for Russia's Phobos-Grunt mission to the Mars moon Phobos launching in Nov. 2011.
15 of 40
Russia Packs Mars Phobos-Grunt Spacecraft for Launch
Credit: Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)
Russian space engineers seal the Mars Phobos-Grunt spacecraft inside its Zenit 3SL rocket nosecone for a Nov. 2011 launch toward the Red Planet to explore Mars and its moon Phobos.
16 of 40
Mars Moon Phobos Likely Forged by Catastrophic Blast
Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)
The ESA spacecraft Mars Express took this image of Phobos on March 7, 2010. This image has been enhanced for seeing features in the less-illuminated part of the moon.
17 of 40
Photos Show Potential Landing Sites on Mars Moon
Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)
The ESA spacecraft Mars Express took this new image of the Phobos-Grunt landing area on March 7, 2010. The insert marks the proposed landing region and sites for Phobos-Grunt.
18 of 40
Phobos-Grunt Diagram
Credit: Lavochkin Association
Russia's Phobos-Grunt is designed to land on Mars' moon Phobos, collect soil samples and return them to Earth for study. The lander will also carry scientific instrumetns to study Phobos and its environment. It will travel to Mars together with Yinghuo-1, China's first mission to the Red Planet.
19 of 40
Russia Packs Mars Phobos-Grunt Spacecraft for Launch
Credit: Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)
Russian space engineers seal the Mars Phobos-Grunt spacecraft inside its Zenit 3SL rocket nosecone for a Nov. 2011 launch toward the Red Planet to explore Mars and its moon Phobos.
20 of 40
Russia Packs Mars Phobos-Grunt Spacecraft for Launch
Credit: Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)
On Flight Day #4, the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer 2 is transferred from space shuttle Endeavour's payload bay for installation on the station's starboard truss.
21 of 40
Russia Packs Mars Phobos-Grunt Spacecraft for Launch
Credit: Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)
Russian space engineers seal the Mars Phobos-Grunt spacecraft inside its Zenit 3SL rocket nosecone for a Nov. 2011 launch toward the Red Planet to explore Mars and its moon Phobos.
22 of 40
Russian Phobos-Grunt Spacecraft on the Launchpad
Credit: Roscosmos
Russia's Phobos-Grunt spacecraft sits atop its Zenit-2SB rocket on the pad in Kazakhstan, ready for its Nov. 8, 2011 launch toward the Martian moon Phobos.
23 of 40
Russia Packs Mars Phobos-Grunt Spacecraft for Launch
Credit: Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)
Russian space engineers seal the Mars Phobos-Grunt spacecraft inside its Zenit 3SL rocket nosecone for a Nov. 2011 launch toward the Red Planet to explore Mars and its moon Phobos.
24 of 40
Mars Phobos Closeups
Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)
In this picture, seven close-up views of Phobos, taken by the Super Resolution Channel on the High Resolution Stereo Camera, are superimposed on the wider view.
25 of 40
Russia Packs Mars Phobos-Grunt Spacecraft for Launch
Credit: Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)
Russian space engineers seal the Mars Phobos-Grunt spacecraft inside its Zenit 3SL rocket nosecone for a Nov. 2011 launch toward the Red Planet to explore Mars and its moon Phobos.
26 of 40
Phobos-Grunt Landing Sites
Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)
This picture of Phobos shows two possible landing sites for the Russian Phobos-Grunt mission. The oval in red marks a spot that was previously being considered, while the blue oval denotes the currently favored landing site.
27 of 40
Russia Packs Mars Phobos-Grunt Spacecraft for Launch
Credit: Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)
Russian space engineers seal the Mars Phobos-Grunt spacecraft inside its Zenit 3SL rocket nosecone for a Nov. 2011 launch toward the Red Planet to explore Mars and its moon Phobos.
28 of 40
Mars Moon Phobos 3-D
Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)
This photo, taken by Mars Express' High Resolution Stereo Camera, shows a 3-D view of the pockmarked surface of Phobos created by years of impacting meteorites.
29 of 40
Russia Packs Mars Phobos-Grunt Spacecraft for Launch
Credit: Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)
Russian space engineers seal the Mars Phobos-Grunt spacecraft inside its Zenit 3SL rocket nosecone for a Nov. 2011 launch toward the Red Planet to explore Mars and its moon Phobos.
30 of 40
Russia Packs Mars Phobos-Grunt Spacecraft for Launch
Credit: Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)
Russian space engineers seal the Mars Phobos-Grunt spacecraft inside its Zenit 3SL rocket nosecone for a Nov. 2011 launch toward the Red Planet to explore Mars and its moon Phobos.
31 of 40
Phobos-Grunt on Its Way to the Launchpad
Credit: Roscosmos
Russia's Phobos-Grunt spacecraft, along with its Zenit-2SB rocket, are ferried to the launchpad ahead of their Nov. 8, 2011 launch.
32 of 40
Russia Packs Mars Phobos-Grunt Spacecraft for Launch
Credit: Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)
Russian space engineers seal the Mars Phobos-Grunt spacecraft inside its Zenit 3SL rocket nosecone for a Nov. 2011 launch toward the Red Planet to explore Mars and its moon Phobos.
33 of 40
Russia Packs Mars Phobos-Grunt Spacecraft for Launch
Credit: Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)
Russian space engineers seal the Mars Phobos-Grunt spacecraft inside its Zenit 3SL rocket nosecone for a Nov. 2011 launch toward the Red Planet to explore Mars and its moon Phobos.
34 of 40
Mars Express Photos of Phobos
Credit: ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum)
The view of Phobos from all five channels on Mars Express' High Resolution Stereo Camera.
35 of 40
Russia Packs Mars Phobos-Grunt Spacecraft for Launch
Credit: Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)
Russian space engineers seal the Mars Phobos-Grunt spacecraft inside its Zenit 3SL rocket nosecone for a Nov. 2011 launch toward the Red Planet to explore Mars and its moon Phobos.
36 of 40
Phobos-Grunt Spectrometer
Credit: University of Mainz
The miniaturized Mössbauer Spectrometer aboard the Mars probe Phobos-Grunt was developed by the Institute for Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry at the University of Mainz in Germany. It carries a small amount of radioactive material, cobalt-57.
37 of 40
Russia Packs Mars Phobos-Grunt Spacecraft for Launch
Credit: Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)
Russian space engineers seal the Mars Phobos-Grunt spacecraft inside its Zenit 3SL rocket nosecone for a Nov. 2011 launch toward the Red Planet to explore Mars and its moon Phobos.
38 of 40
Russia Packs Mars Phobos-Grunt Spacecraft for Launch
Credit: Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos)
Russian space engineers seal the Mars Phobos-Grunt spacecraft inside its Zenit 3SL rocket nosecone for a Nov. 2011 launch toward the Red Planet to explore Mars and its moon Phobos.
39 of 40
LIFE Experiment, Exploded View
Credit: The Planetary Society
The LIFE experiment, exploded view.
40 of 40
The LIFE Module
Credit: The Planetary Society
This sealed module was used in tests of the experiment's strength and resiliency. It is identical to the module that will fly to Phobos.
