Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2004 January 4 
Posted on 01/03/2004 9:22:09 PM PST by petuniasevan
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2004 January 4
Explanation: Mars has two tiny moons, Phobos and Deimos. Pictured above is Deimos, the smaller moon of Mars. In fact, Deimos is one of the smallest known moons in the Solar System measuring only nine miles across. The diminutive Martian moons were discovered in 1877 by Asaph Hall, an American astronomer working at the US Naval Observatory in Washington D.C. The existence of two Martian moons was predicted around 1610 by Johannes Kepler, the astronomer who derived the laws of planetary motion. In this case, Kepler's prediction was not based on scientific principles, but his writings and ideas were so influential that the two Martian moons are discussed in works of fiction such as Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, written in 1726, over 150 years before their actual discovery.
0505 GMT (12:05 a.m. EST) 
NASA officials will be holding a post-landing press conference at 12:30 a.m. EST.
0500 GMT (12:00 a.m. EST)
With Spirit on the surface, it will use motors retract the airbags. This operation could take an hour to complete. The lander then will open up like a flower, lowering its petals to reveal the rover tucked inside. Since Spirit has landed with its base petal down -- the best case scenario -- the opening will take less time.
Next, the rover will deploy its power-generating solar panels. It can begin taking some pictures of the landing site once the arrays are deployed. Those initial images, if snapped this evening, could be released by NASA within hours.
0455 GMT (11:55 p.m. EST)
The spacecraft has landed with its base petal down.
0453 GMT (11:53 p.m. EST)
The Mission Control room is a wild place at the moment with handshakes, screams and some very happy tears.
0452 GMT (11:52 p.m. EST)
SPIRIT IS ALIVE ON MARS! A "very strong signal" is now being received from the Spirit rover from the Gusev Crater on the surface of the Red Planet!
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