Russia's Phobos-Grunt probe heads for fiery finale

Named after the bellicose god of war, Mars has claimed many a victim, and the latest one, a Russian space probe, looks likely to tumble to Earth very soon. Launched Nov. 8 from Kazakhstan, Russia's Phobos-Grunt (grunt is Russian for ground or soil) mission aimed for a first landing of a probe on the martian moon, Phobos. The $163 million spacecraft also carried a piggybacked Chinese Mars orbiter added late to the mission, and a Planetary Society microbe experiment. More

(Source: USA Today - Jan 9)