Failed Russian Mars Probe Set to Crash in Indian Ocean

An artist's impression of Phobos-Grunt in Mars orbit.

Russia's failed Mars probe will come splashing down to Earth in the Indian Ocean between Jan. 14 and Jan. 16, the Roscosmos space agency said Wednesday.

The unmanned Phobos-Grunt spacecraft blasted off toward the Red Planet in November, where it was hoped to bring back rock and soil samples from the moon Phobos. But its engines failed to put in the correct course, and the craft only managed to reach an orbit about 125 miles (200 kilometers) from Earth.

Since then, scientists have been trying to establish when it is likely to crash down, and where.

The scatter zone was most likely above the Indian Ocean, and as many as 20 to 30 fragments could hit Earth, Roscosmos said.

Previously, Roscosmos head Vladimir Popovkin said the probe would break up in the atmosphere, the Ria Novosti news agency reported.

The failed mission has been an embarrassment to Roscosmos, which has suffered a string of failures. Popovkin earlier in the week hinted that rival space powers may have been to blame for the failure of the Phobos probe.

"I don't want to make any accusations, but at present, there are powerful technologies that can impact spacecraft, and their usage cannot be ruled out," Popovkin said.

Source: Fox News

Nokia Lumia 710 On Sale At T-Mobile

Nokia Lumia 710

Nokia's first Windows Phone device for the U.S. market arrived at brick-and-mortar and online stores Wednesday.

The Lumia 710, announced in December, is available for $50 with a two-year contract on T-Mobile through the carrier's website and stores, as well as at electronics retailers like Best Buy. 

The Lumia 710 is similar to other mid-market offerings based on the Windows Phone platform, such as the Samsung Focus Flash or the HTC Radar.

It runs on a 1.4-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and features a 3.7-inch ClearBlack scratch-resistant display, a 5-megapixel camera, and 8 GB of storage. It's available in black or white.  

Like all Windows Phones, its interface uses Microsoft's Metro interface and Live Tiles, which display real-time updates from social networks, e-mail, messaging, and other services, directly to the home screen.

Nokia and T-Mobile are aiming the Lumia 710 at consumers who aren't looking for a top-of-the-line phone, but still want solid performance and all the basic features of a smartphone. "Our research shows that nearly everybody in the U.S. wants a smartphone, but many believe they can't afford it," said T-Mobile USA chief marketing officer Cole Brodman, in a statement.

Nokia Americas president Chris Weber said the device is "the perfect first-time smartphone: a well-designed product that delivers the most compelling Windows Phone experience in its price range."

Nokia does plan to introduce higher-end Windows Phone offerings into the U.S. market. Next in line is the Lumia 800. The 800 is armed with an ultra-bright ClearBlack Amoled screen that adds cyan and magenta to the standard RGB electronic display spectrum. It's also got a camera that uses Carl Zeiss optics and HD video playback.  

Read more from: Information Week

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.

Sadly, the spacecraft reached orbit around Earth but failed to fire the rocket that would send it on an eight-month interplanetary trip. The cause of the failure is the subject of an open investigation by Russian space officials.

"Way too ambitious, and way too underfunded, to reach its goal," says space law attorney Michael Listner, a writer forThe Space Review. "Adding the Chinese orbiter late seems to have pushed the risk to the mission very, very high."

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