[meteorite-list] meteorites from Phobos?

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:29:57 2004
Message-ID: <200309180016.RAA26728_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

>
> Yes, but at present we don't really have any way to determine if a specific
> meteorite originated from Phobos or Deimos as opposed to asteroids of
> similar composition (as best we can determine the composition without
> actual samples).


Exactly.

>The Russians have been planning to launch a sample return
> mission to Phobos for some time. Last I heard they were hopeful of a late
> 2004 sendoff.

There's been a lot of talk, but the Russians haven't attempted a planetary
mission since 1996, so I wouldn't be too hopeful. They actually attempted
to land two spacecraft on Phobos. They were launched in 1988, and were aptly
named Phobos 1 and Phobos 2. Phobos 1 failed enroute to Mars. Phobos 2
made it into Mars orbit, but contact was lost with the spacecraft shortly
before it was to land on the moon.

There was also a Discovery mission proposed called Alladin which was a
Phobos sample return, but it didn't make the final cut.

Ron Baalke
Received on Wed 17 Sep 2003 08:16:43 PM PDT