NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter has captured its first images of the ‘Death Star’ moon Phobos – a region that could one day host a human-mission outpost.
Using the Thermal Emission Imaging System (THERMIS) camera, the orbiter has gathered new information on the changing surface temperatures of the Martian moon over the course of a day, revealing how quickly the ground warms and cools.
In stunning new images from the Sept 29 observation, NASA has combined the visible-wavelength and infrared data to show the surface color-coded by temperature.
ASA has combined the visible-wavelength and infrared data to show the surface color-coded by temperature. By reading the photo from left to right, it reveals a sequence of times of day, from pre-dawn through sunrise, and long after dawn, according to NASA
‘Part of the observed face of Phobos was in pre-dawn darkness, part in morning daylight,’ said THEMIS Deputy Principal Investigator Victoria Hamilton of the Southwest Research Institute.
‘Including a predawn area in the observation is useful because all the heating from the previous day’s sunshine has reached its minimum there.
‘As you go from predawn area to morning area you get to watch the heating behaviour. If it heats up very quickly, it’s likely not very rocky but dusty instead.’
By reading the photo from left to right, it reveals a sequence of times of day, from pre-dawn through sunrise, and long after dawn, according to NASA.
While other orbiters have taken high-resolution photos of the Martian moon, THEMIS is the first to capture this type of infrared information.
NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter has captured its first images of the ‘Death Star’ moon Phobos – a region that could one day host a human-mission outpost. Odyssey began orbiting the Red Planet in 2001, but has never imaged either moon until now
This can provide information on the mineral composition, as well as the texture, of the surface.
The texture is related to the ground’s ability to warm up and cool down, the researchers explain.
Scientists are working to understand if Phobos, and the smaller Martian moon Deimos, are captured asteroids or pieces of Mars itself, knocked in space by impacts.
The orbiter gathered new information on the changing surface temperatures of the Martian moon over the course of a day
Odyssey’s new observations are the first the craft has captured of Phobos since it began orbiting the Red Planet in 2001.
With the new observations, scientists now know the craft can safely image this moon.
Typically, Odyssey keeps its THEMIS camera pointed straight down as it orbits Mars.
But, in 2014, the team developed a way to rotate it so it can look upward.
‘We now have the capability of rotating the spacecraft for THEMIS observations,’ said Odyssey Project Scientist Jeffrey Plaut of JPL.
‘There is heightened interest in Phobos because of the possibility that future astronauts could perhaps use it as an outpost.’
Now, the team plans to observe other illumination phases of Phobos and Deimos.
‘We want to get observations under all types of lighting – fully daylit, a small crescent, during eclipse,’ Hamilton said.
‘We hope this is the first of several observations that will help us understand Phobos and Deimos.’