Images from the recent flyby of Phobos, on 7 March 2010, are released today. The images show Mars’ rocky moon in exquisite detail, with a resolution of just 4.4 metres per pixel. They show the proposed landing sites for the forthcoming Phobos-Grunt mission.
ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft orbits the Red Planet in a highly elliptical, polar orbit that brings it close to Phobos every five months. It is the only spacecraft currently in orbit around Mars whose orbit reaches far enough from the planet to provide a close-up view of Phobos.
March 15th, 2010
Phobos flyby images
March 4th, 2010
Closest Phobos flyby gathers data
The European Mars Express (Mex) probe has made its closest flyby of the Martian moon Phobos, passing just 67km (42 miles) from its surface.
No manmade object has ever been so near to the natural satellite.
The approach is one of a series being made by Mex as it seeks to understand the origin of the moon.
Previous flybys have indicated that Phobos has an extremely low density, suggesting that its surface probably hides many large interior voids.
Scientists suspect the moon is simply a collection of planetary rubble that coalesced around the Red Planet sometime after its formation.
March 2nd, 2010
Mars Express Swings by Phobos Discovery
A European space probe is on track for a close encounter with the Martian moon Phobos, an odd, potato-shaped satellite — origins unknown — that may be partly hollow.
Mapping Phobos’ gravity is among scientists’ top priorities when the Mars Express spacecraft soars as close as 50 kilometers (31 miles) above the moon Wednesday night.
Previous passes of Phobos by Mars Express have raised as many questions as they’ve answered. For example, calculations of the moon’s density led scientists to the surprising theory that parts of Phobos may be hollow. Minute changes in the probe’s flight path — tracked by a radio signal — as it passes over the moon Wednesday will be closely monitored in an attempt to correlate Phobos’ gravitational tugs with internal structural variations.
February 27th, 2010
Mars Express to make closest ever approach to Phobos
On 3 March 2010 Mars Express will make its closest ever approach to Phobos, the larger of the two Martian moons. During a series of flybys, spanning six weeks, all seven instruments onboard Mars Express will be utilised to study Phobos. The close approach provides a first opportunity to perform a unique gravity experiment that may reveal the distribution of mass within this intriguing moon.
February 2nd, 2010
VMC first: the shadow of Phobos!
For the first-time ever, VMC has imaged what we believe to be the shadow of Mars’ moon Phobos crossing the surface of Mars. The shadow cast by Phobos as it passes between the Sun and Mars was photographed by VMC on 30 January, just as Mars Express approaches an intensive scientific observation campaign of Phobos.
January 29th, 2010
Auspicious orbit marks run-up to Phobos flyby
On 26 January, Mars Express completed its 7777th orbit around the Red Planet, an auspicious milestone as the satellite is readied for the closest-ever flyby of Phobos, scheduled for just a few weeks from now.
Mars Express has been in orbit since 25 December 2003, returning a wealth of scientific information and some of the most stunning high-resolution imagery of the Red Planet ever. Its data have allowed scientists to measure the abundance of water ice and vapour in the martian subsurface, surface and the atmosphere, as well as previously unknown methane in the atmosphere. Mars Express’ highly elliptical orbit will enable Mars Express, on 3 March, to conduct the closest flyby and examination of Phobos, Mars’ largest moon. The flyby, at a planned altitude of just 50 km, will collect very precise radio Doppler data to help determine the moon’s gravity field more accurately than ever.
January 21st, 2010
Photographic illusion shows trees on Mars AdelaideNow
FIRST there were canals. Then an ominous face lept from Mars’ mysterious surface. Now, what looks like rows of alien trees is causing something of a stir.
Like the tall tales that have gone before it, this latest image of Mars is nothing but an optical illusion.
Taken by NASA and the European Space Agency’s Mars Express Orbiter, the picture is from a collection showing vast sand dunes and icy landscapes on the surface of the red planet.
Australian National University associate professor of astronomy Charley Lineweaver said the sand dunes were extremely steep, and the “tree-like” shapes were simply gullies running down the slopes.
December 11th, 2009
Martian moons Phobos and Deimos together in one image for the first time International Space Fellowship
For the very first time, the martian moons Phobos and Deimos have been caught on camera together. ESA’s Mars Express orbiter took these pioneering images last month. Apart from their ‘wow’ factor, these unique images will help the HRSC team validate and refine existing orbit models of the two moons. Phobos, the larger of the two moons, orbits closer to the Red Planet, circling it every 7 hours and 39 minutes. It travels faster relative to Mars than the Moon relative to Earth. It was 11 800 km from Mars Express when the images were taken. Deimos was 26 200 km away.
September 27th, 2009
MARSIS data reveal new method to measure the magnetic field of Mars
Unusual signals detected by the Mars Express MARSIS instrument have been used to determine the magnetic field strength of Mars. In a forthcoming issue of Icarus, Ferzan Akalin and colleagues demonstrate how the MARSIS instrument can be used as a magnetometer – an unexpected application with important consequences for studies of local plasma effects and the Mars Express spacecraft environment.
July 24th, 2009
Craters, lava flows and tectonic features near Ma’adim Vallis
The Mars Express High Resolution Stereo Camera imaged a region close to Ma’adim Vallis, one of the largest canyons on Mars, finding craters, lava flows and tectonic features.
After Valles Marineris, Ma’adim Vallis is one of the largest canyons on Mars. The region, lying south-east of Ma’adim Vallis, was imaged on 24 December 2008. The pictures are centred at about 29°S and 182°E and have a ground resolution of 15 m/pixel.