Phobos 2 Phobos 2 Phobos 2 was the last space probe designed by the Soviet Union. It was designed to explore the moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos. It was launched on 12 July 1988, and entered orbit on 29 January 1989. "Phobos 2" operated nominally throughout its cruise and Mars orbital insertion phases on 29 January 1989, gathering data on the Sun, interplanetary medium, Mars, and Phobos. "Phobos 2" investigated Mars surface and atmosphere and returned 37 images of Phobos with a resolution of up to 40 meters. Shortly before the final phase of the mission, during which the spacecraft was
Flag of Mars "red Mars and two moons in blue field above a diagonal, white below". In Robert A. Heinlein's 1961 science-fiction novel "Stranger in a Strange Land", a flag of Mars is hastily improvised, consisting of "the field in white and the sigil of Mars in red". In The Expanse television series, based on "The Expanse" series of novels by James S. A. Corey, the Martian Congressional Republic is the governing body that rules over the inhabitants of Mars and is one of the two human superpowers in the series. Its flag is reminiscent of Mars and its two moons, Phobos and