[meteorite-list] Phobos-Grunt May Crash to Earth on January 15th

[Ron Baalke]

http://www.space.com/14143-doomed-mars-probe-phobos-grunt-crash-january-15.html

Doomed Russian Mars Probe May Crash to Earth on Jan. 15
by Mike Wall
space.com
05 January 2012 

A failed Russian Mars probe is expected to come crashing back to Earth next 
weekend, according to news reports.

The Phobos-Grunt spacecraft was stranded in Earth orbit shortly after its 
Nov. 8 launch, and it's been circling lower and lower ever since. Russian space 
officials now estimate that the probe will meet its fiery demise in Earth's 
atmosphere next Sunday (Jan. 15).

"As of Wednesday morning, the fragments of Phobos-Grunt are expected to fall 
January 15, 2012," Alexei Zolotukhin, spokesman for Russia's military space forces, 
told Russian news agencies Wednesday (Jan. 4), according to Agence-France Presse. 
"The final date could change due to external factors."