Russians still trying to contact stranded Mars probe

The chances of Phobos Grunt being rescued are slim to none.  Even if controllers can re-establish communication with it, orbital precession has moved the craft's orbit out of alignment for a trans Mars trajectory.

Vladimir Popovkin, head of Roscosmos, says otherwise. He believes the spacecraft has till early December to set course for Mars. If not, it should remain in orbit until January before falling back to Earth.

Russians still trying to contact stranded Mars probe - Technology & science - Space - Space.com - msnbc.com:
"Russian engineers are still trying to communicate with a wayward Mars moon probe, and they have until early December to fix the spacecraft and send it on its way, according to news reports."