Image courtesy of MSNBC & Ralf Vandebergh
Russian military space forces informed Russian news agencies on Wednesday, fragments of Russia’s stranded Mars probe Phobos-Grunt could fall to Earth on January 15.
Phobos-Grunt — correctly written “Fobos-Grunt,” meaning “Phobos-Soil” or “Phobos-Ground” has remained stuck in low earth orbit since is launch November 8 after failing to accelerate to Mars. ESA and NASA assisted trying to contact the stranded probe however after a brief contact from ESA’s outpost in Australia the probe fell silent.
Ralf Vandebergh, an astrophotographer and veteran satellite spotter located in the Netherlands, was able to capture pictures of the troubled probe as it made one of it’s passes over the tracking scope of his 10-inch Newtonian telescope.
According to experts reviewing orbital data issued by the U.S. Strategic Command over the five days ending December 29, and predicted space weather. They estimate that Phobos-Grunt will decay on January 16, 2012, plus or minus four days. Update’s on this will follow as that date get’s closer.
Update 01.04.2012 4:32pm
As if that wasn’t enough bad news, we are looking at an uncontrolled toxic reentry scenario. is fully-laden with unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide; that’s ten tons of fuel and oxidizer. The probe itself weighs-in at only three tons.
Experts theorize that, the majority of the fuel will likely vaporize during reentry. However everyone will be hoping for a ocean splashdown, as the wreckage itself will be hazardous. A small quantity of radioactive cobalt-57 in one of the science missions housed in the probe — a fact that will already causing a bit of media stir.
UPDATE: 01.13.2012 – According to Russian Space Agency, the probes reentry should start Sunday evening Russian time. The impact could take place in a wide area covering the Pacific and Atlantic ocean.
Sources: MSNBC, Discovery.com, WashingtonPost, AGI