Posted by tourdemars to Phobos-Grunt at November 30, 2011 06:23 PM

A skywatcher has photographed a troubled Russian Mars probe that remains stuck in Earth orbit three weeks after its launch. Astrophotographer and veteran satellite spotter Ralf Vandebergh tracked Russia's Phobos-Grunt spacecraft as it passed over the southern Netherlands on Tuesday. Using a 10-inch (25-centimeter) telescope and a video camera, he snapped a series of images at a range of about 170 miles (274 kilometers).