 G. Neukum / FU Berlin / DLR / ESA | |
| Use red-blue glasses to get a 3-D view of Phobos, and click on the image for a larger version. |
Fresh imagery from Europe’s Mars Express orbiter shows the Martian moon Phobos in sharp, 3-D detail. This isn’t the first time Phobos has gotten its close-up, but interest in the irregular moon is rising – in part because it’s increasingly seen as a steppingstone for Mars-bound astronauts.
Last month, NASA shifted its focus from sending humans back to the moon to a “flexible path” that includes the moons of Mars as potential destinations. The idea is that low-gravity locales such as Phobos (and Mars’ other moon, Deimos) should be easier to get to because they’re more accommodating for landing and ascent.
Phobos – a pockmarked, potato-shaped lump that measures only 17 miles (27 kilometers) in its widest dimension – could well serve as the prime staging ground for telerobotic operations on the Martian surface, or for eventual human landings on Mars.
But first, scientists want to figure out what Phobos is made of.
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