On 3 March 2010, ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft will make the closest flyby of Phobos, passing the moon at an altitude of just 50km. It is part of a campaign of twelve flybys over six weeks, beginning 16 February, to study this mysterious moon (see the entry for 27 January for a Phobos low-down). As part of ESA’s coverage of this event, I will be in the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) in Germany, blogging and tweeting as the celestial encounter happens.  In the weeks running up to the historic flyby, catch up on regular news bulletins at the newly created blog.  Also, follow @esamarsphobos on Twitter.

If you have any questions about the flyby, or Mars, or Phobos, just tweet them to @esamarsphobos or to me directly (@DrStuClark) and I’ll work on getting you an answer.