Russian space officials estimate that Phobos-Grunt will fall to Earth on Jan. 15

Russian space officials now estimate that Phobos-Grunt will fall to Earth on Jan. 15, though the date could change “due to external factors. The probe will re-enter somewhere between 51 degrees north and 51 degress south latitude; the exact location won’t be known until the time of re-entry is pinpointed.

A French skywatcher has recorded what is likely one of the last videos of the falling Phobos-Grunt space probe.

This video of Phobos-Grunt was taken by Thierry Legault and Emmanuel Rietsch from the Calern plateau Observatory (above Nice, French Riviera) on January 1^st 2012, during a zenithal passage (culmination at 88.5° of altitude at 6:17:24 UTC, direction NNE), moving at speed of 7.75km/sec, 237 km high from the ground. The spacecraft may crash back to Earth on January 15th.

(Source:LiveScience)SPACE.com is providing full coverage of Phobos-Grunt’s re-entry, including a look at the issues surrounding orbital debris and space situational awareness.

 

Featured Image courtesy of Russian Space Agency