It is possible to solve the long-standing mystery regarding the origins of the Martian moons.
To capture data on the subsurface of its scored and cratered surface, a space probe was able to come within a few kilometers of one of the satellites’ larger siblings.
“Whether MarsIt is not clear if the two small moons were captured asteroids, or if they are made from material taken from Mars in a collision. Colin Wilson, AstronomerEuropean Space Agency (ESA). “Their appearance suggests they might be asteroids. However, the way they orbit Mars arguably suggests otherwise.”
Phobos is named after the ancient Greek god of panic and fear. It measures 22.2 kilometers (13.8 mi) in size and orbits Mars at an average distance of approximately 6,000 km.
Deimos is named after the Greek god of terror and dread. It measures just 12.6 km (7.8 mi) in circumference and orbits Mars at an average distance of approximately 20,000 km.
Both are very unique objects that are quite different from our companions in many ways. There are some fascinating differences between them.
Deimos may be moving away, and Phobos could one day escape Mars completely. However, Phobos is making a slow, decaying orbit towards Mars. It shrinks by 1.8 cm (0.7 inches) every year. A journey that could take it to Mars. To make a ring, tear it apartIn the next 100 million years.
It is also not clear from where they came. Multiple lines of compelling evidence support the idea that our Moon is real In a huge collision, the Earth was ripped apartHowever, Mars and its moons are far more difficult to study than the Earth.
Compositionally, Phobos & Deimos seem quite similarThis suggests they could have come from the exact same source. The composition of these asteroids is similar. However, they have similar orbits that are almost identical and stick fairly closely to Mars’ equator. This characteristic is not typical of captured asteroids.
One way to look for answers is to peer under the hood, so to speak – to find out what’s lurking under the surface of the moons. ESA sent their Mars ExpressThe orbiter was flying to Phobos for a flyby. It was within 51 miles (83 km) of the satellite. The Karman line, which separates the Earth’s atmosphere and interplanetary space, is located at approximately 100 km altitude. A flyby of just 83 kilometers Close.
“We didn’t know it was possible,” Simon Wood, Mars Express flight control controllerESA. “The ESA team tried several versions of the software before finalizing the tweaks that were uploaded to the spacecraft hours before the flyby.
The flyby took place at the end September. The goal was to probe beneath the surface of Phobos using a Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding instrument (MARSIS).
This radar instrument sends radio waves at Mars using low frequencies. Scientists can use the waves to determine what is beneath the surface.
Scientists got this insight from scientists. liquid water lakes (or clay depositsYou can also call it: Deposits of volcanic rockYou can also call it: Layers of rock and ice) buried beneath the Martian southern polar ice cap. The instrument is now being used to decode the internal structure and functions of Phobos.
“We are still in an early stage of our analysis.” says astronomer Andrea CicchettiMARSIS is operated by the National Institute for Astrophysics of Italy. “But we have already observed possible signs below of previously unknown features. The moon’s surface. We are eager for MARSIS to play a role in the final solution of the mystery surrounding Phobos’s birth.
Mars Express will fly closer to the moon over the next few years. The team expects that the probe will fly in between 2023 and 2025 to reach Phobos’s surface at 40 km. This will allow for additional data to be collected on the probe’s interior structure.
Additionally, international space agencies collaborate on the project. Martian Moons eXploration mission. This ambitious project aims to send a probe to both Phobos and Deimos and study them in detail – and collect a sample from Phobos and bring it back to Earth for detailed analysis.
Maybe then we’ll have an answer about the birthplace for the two martian oddballs.
