Russian Mars Probe Malfunctions, Could Crash into Earth

What's 14.6 tons heavy, chockfull of toxic fuel, and potentially headed for a collision with our lovely little planet?

Today's instalment of "Things in Earth's Orbit that Could Kill a Whole Lot of Us" introduces us to the hilariously named Russian space probe Phobos-Grunt. The probe was launched yesterday with the goal of landing the unmanned craft on Phobos, one of Mars' two moons. But shortly after launching from Kazakhstan, a rocket failure prevented the craft from heading toward the red planet, instead getting stuck circling Earth. Russian technicians are rushing to get the rocket's computer system rebooted within three days, or it's feared that the probe could come crashing back down to Earth. And if so, look out: former NASA officials say that the 14.6-ton rocket is filled to the brim with extremely toxic fuel, meaning it could be the most dangerous piece of space equipment to ever hit our planet. Great! If the Russians are able to get the probe sorted out, though, it's expected to land on Phobos in 2013 before heading back to Earth with samples of the moon's surface.