Spacecraft during
integration.
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The Phobos Mission was a Soviet mission to the planet Mars launched
in July 1988 carrying contributions from several countries.
C.T. Russell served as a
co - investigator on the Austrian fluxgate magnetometer
investigation. Two Phobos spacecraft were launched in July 1988.
Sketch of the Phobos
spacecraft in orbit.
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Figure 1 shows one of these on the ground
during integration. The first Phobos spacecraft failed during
transit to Mars. The second Phobos spacecraft entered Mars orbit
in February 1989. Figure 2 shows an
artist's sketch of the Phobos spacecraft in orbit about Mars. The
spacecraft orbit was initially elliptical and then was changed
to circular at the distance of the moon Phobos. As the
spacecraft was being maneuvered close to Phobos, contact was lost.
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Missions
Phobos
