New Photos Show Potential Landing Sites on Mars Moon
(SPACE.com)
Space / Astronomy Related News
SPACE.com - New photos of the Mars' moon Phobos reveal the Martian satellite as a strange, potato-shaped moon, and show potential landing zones being considered for a future robotic probe.
Source: Yahoo! News: Space/Astronomy
Scientists are closer to solving the mystery of how Mars' moon Phobos formed: Phobos in the mid- and far-ultraviolet
In late November and early December 2015, NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) mission made a series of close approaches to the Martian moon Phobos, collecting data from within 300 miles (500 kilometers) of the moon. Ref. Source 2f.
A giant impact: Solving the mystery of how Mars' moons formed
Where did the two natural satellites of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, come from? For a long time, their shape suggested that they were asteroids captured by Mars. However, the shape and course of their orbits contradict this hypothesis. Two independent and complementary studies provide an answer to this question. One of these studies rules out the capture of asteroids, and shows that the only scenario compatible with the surface properties of Phobos and Deimos is that of a giant collision. In the second study, researchers used cutting-edge digital simulations to show how these satellites were able to form from the debris of a gigantic collision between Mars and a protoplanet one-third its size. Ref. Source 1z.
How this Martian moon became the 'Death Star'
Researchers have demonstrated for the first time how an asteroid or comet could have caused a mega crater on Mars' largest moon Phobos -- which resembles the Death Star from the film "Star Wars" -- without completely destroying the satellite. Ref. Source 6d.
Viewing Martian moon orbiting the red planet. While photographing Mars, NASA's Hubble Space Telescope captured a cameo appearance of the tiny moon Phobos on its trek around the Red Planet. Hubble took 13 separate exposures over 22 minutes to create a time-lapse video showing the moon's orbital path. Source 1i.
Solar eruptions could electrify Martian moons. Powerful solar eruptions could electrically charge areas of the Martian moon Phobos to hundreds of volts, presenting a complex electrical environment that could possibly affect sensitive electronics carried by future robotic explorers, according to a new NASA study. The study also considered electrical charges that could develop as astronauts transit the surface on potential human missions to Phobos. Source 9i.
Martian moon may have come from impact on home planet. Phobos, the larger of Mars' two tiny satellites, is the darkest moon in the solar system. This dark aspect inspired the hypothesis that the close-orbiting moon may be a captured asteroid, but its orbital dynamics seemed to disagree. A new study suggests Phobos' composition may be more like the volcanic crust of the Red Planet than it appears, consistent with an origin for the moon in an ancient, violent impact on Mars. Source 6i.