Russians Lose Contact with Mars Probe

Time is running out to get the Phobos-Grunt probe back online before it crashes back to Earth and obliterates us all.

Russian space officials have apparently lost all contact with the ill-fated Phobos-Grunt Mars probe that's now circling Earth and could crash into the planet by the end of the month. The probe was supposed to travel to Mars' moon, Phobos, to collect ground samples, but its rockets malfunctioned shortly after launch, leading to the 14.6-tonne spacecraft to get lodged in Earth's orbit, where it remains. Ruscosmos, the Russian space authority, said they have about two weeks to get in contact with the probe and get it back on course before it stands to plummet back down to Earth. If that happens, it's likely that the craft, cited as the world's heaviest ever, would just burn up in the atmosphere, probably sometime between Nov. 26 and Dec. 3. But there is a slim chance that the extremely toxic fuel onboard could freeze upon re-entry and make it back down to the Earth's surface, where it would ostensibly ruin whatever environment it smashes into.