Inside Russia's Mars Moon Sampling Mission: Infographic

by Karl Tate, SPACE.com Infographics Artist

Date: 12 November 2011 Time: 04:20 AM ET

Russian space officials hope to correct a problem that has prevented the Phobos-Grunt probe from departing Earth orbit on its mission to collect soil samples from a moon of Mars.

The Phobos-Grunt spacecraft launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan at 3:16 p.m. EST (2016 GMT) on Nov. 8, 2011, and separated from its Zenit rocket properly, Russian officials said. However, the spacecraft's own engine failed to ignite to take the vehicle on a trajectory to Mars, leaving it stranded in Earth orbit.

Failure Common Among Mars Missions (Timeline)

Photos: Russia's Phobos-Grunt Mission to Mars Moon

Dirt from Phobos: Russia Aims to Bring Some Back

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