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
      =========================
 
      Phase 1 - Cruise
      ----------------
        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.