Phobos is the epitome of fear in Greek mythology, but the name is also reserved for one of the moons of Mars. It is worth adding that it is probably an asteroid intercepted by the gravitational attraction of the Red Planet, but there are no certainties about it. Phobos is irregular in shape and has many traces of meteorites on its surface.
Currently, emotions are aroused by the fact that a close encounter with the mysterious moon recently took place Marsa. The European Space Agency carries out an unmanned mission called Mars Expressand an orbiter called Mars Express Orbiter (MEO) orbiting the Red Planet for nearly two decades.
MEO approached from a distance The property is 83 km from Fobos on September 22, 2022, and then peered into the mysterious moon. As reported by the site Space.comit was possible thanks to a tool called MARSI (Mars Advanced Radar for the subsoil and ionosphere), as well as thanks to a recent software update that made it possible to search from less than 250 km away.
This scientific radar instrument is used to study structures beneath the surface, which is why the orbiter can peer deep into the natural satellite of Mars. Scientist Andrea Cicchetti z INAF (Italian National Institute of Astrophysics) commented on the latest activities carried out by MEO.
We are still in an early stage of our analysis, but we have seen possible signs of previously unknown structures that lie beneath this moon’s surface.
The MARSIS scientific instrument uses radio waves. Some bounce off the surface, others penetrate deep into Phobos and only then return to the orbiter. This allows you to analyze the reflected waves, map the structures inside the moon and better understand their thickness and composition.
In the official statement on the ESA website Andrea Cicchetti explains that thanks to the recent ability to conduct close searches, scientists have acquired the ability to see more detail, including identifying structures they may not have been able to see before. In the future, researchers want to get even closer to Phobos and instead of around 80km, they dream of around 40km.
Phobos study
The radargram obtained (GPR profile) has a marked path of the studied area, as well as a special place marked with the letter “e”, which intrigued scientists with its geological characteristics of the subsoil.
Finally, you need to add it plans include a mission called Martian Moons eXploration (MMX), the purpose of which will be to land on the moon of Phobos, collect samples for testing and return with them to Earth. Start is slated for 2024 and, if all goes according to plan, it will be the first time in history that humanity will transport samples from Phobos to Earth. In short, our exploration of the mysterious moon has just begun.
Marcin Hołowacz, journalist from Wirtualna Polska
