Discovery of the Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos
An unusual pair of craters on Mars formed when a moon broke apart before crashing into the planet’s surface about a billion years ago, a new study suggests.
The craters could hint at what lies in store for Phobos, a potato-shaped moon that is expected to smash into Mars millions of years from now.
The two craters, which lie about 12.5 kilometres apart, share the same oval shape and nearly the same west-east alignment.
Article: (source: newscientist.com)
Scientists and engineers are preparing ESA’s Mars Express for several close fly-bys of the Martian moon Phobos. Passing within 100 km of the surface, Mars Express will conduct some of the most detailed investigations of the moon to date.
The series of fly-bys will take place between 12 July and 3 August. During the second encounter, the spacecraft will fly within 273 km of the surface. Six days later, Mars Express will close to within just 97 km.
Although the Red Planet itself has been studied in detail, very little is known about the origins of its moons, Phobos and Deimos.
Article: (source: esa.int)
NASA.gov MarsToday.com