[meteorite-list] Doomed Mars Probe Photographed (Phobos-Grunt)

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2012 14:14:32 -0800 (PST)
Message-ID: <201201052214.q05MEWwD011129_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

Space Weather News for Jan. 5, 2012
http://spaceweather.com

MARS PROBE PHOTOGRAPHED: Phobos-Grunt, a Russian Mars probe
stuck in Earth orbit since November, is sinking back into
the atmosphere. Best estimates suggest re-entry will
occur on Jan. 15th or 16th. Meanwhile, citizen scientists
can see the probe moving through the night sky sometimes
shining as brightly as a first-magnitude star. French
astrophotographer Thierry Legault recently photographed
Phobos-Grunt through a 14-inch telescope, revealing its
outlines and perhaps a clue as to why the probe has had
difficulty communicating with Earth. His images and video
are highlighted on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com .

Local flyby times for Phobos-Grunt may be found using
SpaceWeather's online satellite tracker (http://spaceweather.com/flybys)
or on your smartphone: http://simpleflybys.com
Received on Thu 05 Jan 2012 05:14:32 PM PST