Lot 69
  • 69

SOVIET PHOBOS MARS 2 ENGINEERING PROTOTYPE SPACE MODEL, 1988

Estimate
14,000 - 18,000 USD
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Description

1:10 scale contractor model, 22 inches tall, 14 ½ by 14 ½ inches wide, metal, acrylic, and composite on a composite base; a few minor nicks and scuffs.

Catalogue Note

RARE. ONE OF ONLY THREE CONTRACTOR MODELS MADE, WITH THE OTHER TWO CURRENTLY IN LEADING RUSSIAN MUSEUMS The Phobos program was an unmanned space mission consisting of two probes launched by the Soviet Union to study Mars and its moons: Phobos and Deimos. Phobos 2 was launched on July 12, 1988, and entered orbit on January 29, 1989. It operated nominally throughout its cruise and Mars orbital insertion phases on January 29, 1989, gathering data on the Sun, the interplanetary medium, Mars, and Phobos. It investigated Mars’s surface and atmosphere, and returned 37 images of Phobos.

Theories trying to explain the mysterious monolith on the Martian satellite had amassed over the years, with scientist Dr. Isaac Asimov even penning a story in which he suggests that Phobos was an abandoned alien ship from the distant past, captured by the gravity of the Red Planet.