Russian Space Probe Crashes Into Pacific Ocean

Phobos-Grunt, the failed Russian space probe that was slated to visit the Martian moon Phobos, crashed into the Pacific Ocean, Russian news agencies report. The probe hit Earth at around 12:45 p.m. EST Sunday, some 775 miles west of the coastal island of Wellington. “Phobos-Grunt fragments have crashed down in the Pacific Ocean,” Alexei Zolotukhin, an official with Russia’s Defense Ministry, said to Ria Novosti. The probe, described by one expert as the “most toxic falling satellite ever,” was launched on Nov. 9, 2011 with a mission to take soil samples from Phobos and fly them back to Earth. However, shortly after launch it stopped responding to commands, and in December the European Space Agency said it will stop attempts to save it. If it were successful, the $165-million probe would be Russia’s first successful interplanetary mission in over 20 years. [via Reuters]