Two spacecraft are supposed to be headed towards Mars this month: NASA’s Mars Science Laboratory and Russia’s Phobos-Grunt.
The Mars Science Laboratory is scheduled to launch at 10:25 a.m. EST on Nov. 25, but the launch window runs until Dec. 18. This mission consists of a rover that will land on Mars and study the potential for habitability by studying rocks and soil.
Phobos-Grunt already launched on Nov. 8, but ran into problems when it hit low-Earth orbit. Two propulsion engines were supposed to fire but, for some reason, did not. The atmosphere will drag on the spacecraft, and if Russia cannot propel the spacecraft on toward Mars soon, Phobos-Grunt may remain stuck in orbit and eventually fall back to Earth.
The name of the spacecraft comes from the Russian for “Phobos Soil” because the primary objective for the mission is to collect and study soil samples and then bring them back to the earth. The craft will also observe Mars and its environment, looking for past or potential life.
