Mission Overview
================
The spacecraft Phobos 1 and 2 were launched on 7 and 12 July 1988.
The mission was to have three stages: investigations of Sun and
interplanetary space during the flight from Earth to Mars; studies
of both Mars and Phobos during the orbit of the spacecraft around
Mars; and studies of Phobos as the spacecraft approached to within
50 m of its surface.  Contact with Phobos 1 was lost on 1
September 1988 during the cruise phase; contact was lost with
Phobos 2 just before the third stage of the mission. However,
valuable data on Mars and Phobos were acquired prior to loss of
contact.

Mission Phase Information
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Phase 1 - Cruise
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  Start Time: 1988-07-07
  Stop Time:  1989-01-29

  Phobos 2 was launched on July 12, 1988.  The first correction of
  the trajectory was made on July 21, 1988.  On January 29, 1989,
  a retarding impulse was applied and Phobos 2 was transferred
  from Earth-to-Mars trajectory to the elliptical equatorial orbit
  of a martian artificial satellite.

Phase 2 - Mars Orbit
--------------------
  Start Time: 1989-01-29
  Stop Time:  1989-03-27

  On January 29, 1989, a retarding impulse was applied and Phobos
  2 was transferred from Earth-to-Mars trajectory to the
  elliptical equatorial orbit of a martian artificial satellite.
  The spacecraft's orbits were corrected several more times in
  February, in order to achieve a circular orbit, almost the same
  as that of Phobos, although somewhat higher.  In March, several
  intermediate corrections transferred the spacecraft into a
  quasi-synchronous orbit with Phobos.  Eventually, the craft was
  transferred to an orbit closer to Phobos, and then guided closer
  to Phobos itself.  On March 27, 1989, after television imaging
  of Phobos during which Phobos 2 changed its orientation so that
  its field of view pointed at Phobos, radio contact was lost.