The mystery of Mars’ moons is still (or almost) complete.

Mars Express gives some answers about the origin of Mars’ moons. When will we finish this story?

Phobos is one of my moons Mars, the largest, albeit very small compared to ours. On its surface, pits … as well as strange scratches. And this moon appears to be relentlessly approaching Mars. It could end up tearing it to a ring in a few tens of millions of years. All of this intrigues astronomers to the highest degree, and the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Mars Express mission presents them today some answers.

Mars Express gives some answers about the origin of Mars’ moons

It was launched in 2003 to study the internal structure of Marson board is the instrument Mars advanced radar for subsurface and ionosphere sounding, Marcis of his nickname. The idea was to bombard the Red Planet with low-frequency radio waves to analyze the properties of the returning waves and thus determine the Earth’s structure and deeper layers.

After a major update to the Marsis software, astronomers were able to obtain important data as the first path on Mars passed near Phobos. “Approaching allows us to study its structure in more detail and identify important features that we could not see from afar. In the future, we are confident that we can use Marsis within 40 km The instrument was originally designed to study Mars at a distance of 250 km.. The Mars Express orbit has been optimized to bring us as close to Phobos as possible on a few flights between 2023 and 2025, which will give us opportunities to experienceAndrea Chichetti explained in an ESA press release.

Does this data allow us to understand Phobos origin ? According to astronomers, the moons of Mars could be ancient asteroids that were captured by the Red Planet. Its appearance and composition suggest, but not its orbit. So they could also be pieces of rock that were torn apart by the Mars collision.

When will we finish this story?

With the data obtained on September 23, researchers were able to find signs of the surface structure, but above all very interesting properties underground: a multilayered structure that indicates that Phobos will indeed be an ancient asteroid, but it may also indicate a planet Old. A pile of floating rubble.

Mars Express will make other passes nearby in the sky of Phobos. Let’s hope that the data obtained will make it possible to learn more. Moreover, the task Exploring the moons of Mars (MMX), with the Japan Space Agency, will land on Phobos in 2024 to sample and improve things. These samples should return to Earth in 2029. Will this help solve the mystery of the moons of Mars? Follow !