Russia’s Dark Horse Plan to Get to Mars

Instead of aiming straight for Mars, the Russians are going after Phobos, the larger of its two little satellites and one of the oddest objects around. Their probe, called Fobos-Grunt (‚ÄúPhobos soil‚Äù in Russian), will not only land on Phobos but also scoop up some samples of the surface and send them to Earth. Phobos is very different from our moon. It is a potato-shaped rock measuring only 12 miles by 17 miles, nearly as dark as coal, and dominated by a six-mile-wide crater called Stickney. Full Story : DiscoverMagazine.com….