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). Image: Fraunhofer FHR
A coordinated global campaign is monitoring a wayward Russian Mars probe that’s slated to crash to Earth in the next few days, the European Space Agency has announced.
The doomed Phobos-Grunt spacecraft, which Russian officials estimate will re-enter Earth’s atmosphere between Saturday and Monday (Jan. 14-16), is now officially a target for the 12-member Inter-Agency Space Debris Coordination Committee, or IADC for short.
The determination that Phobos-Grunt is not a high-risk piece of space junk is due to the relatively low dry mass of the errant spacecraft—just 2.5 tons. There is about 11 tons of toxic propellant onboard, adding up to the probe’s total mass of 13.5 tons.
According to ESA, studies by the Russian space agency (known as Roscosmos) and NASA indicate that Phobos-Grunt’s fuel tanks should burst high above the Earth, releasing a load of propellant that will subsequently dissipate.
PIYUSH YADAV 