Russian Mars probe will probably crash Sunday
JAN 13, 2012
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.025819
National Geographic : Phobos-Grunt, the failed Russian Mars probe that has been stuck in low Earth orbit for more than two months, is expected to re-enter the atmosphere around Sunday. The Russian space agency Roscosmos expects about 20–30 satellite fragments to reach the ground; the rest should burn up when the craft re-enters the atmosphere. The craft is already visible as a rapidly moving starlike object in the night sky; as it descends into the denser layers of the atmosphere, it will form a long plasma tail and resemble a brightly glowing comet. When it breaks up, it will leave a debris trail that should be visible for up to two minutes. The pieces that fall to Earth should pose very little risk to people, and Roscosmos expects the 11 tons of fuel carried by the satellite to be consumed during reentry.
© 2012 American Institute of Physics
