The streaked and stained surface of Phobos. Russia’s second sample-return attempt may end up sending back bits of both Phobos AND Mars. (Image: NASA/MRO/HiRISE)
That's no moon.....
Posted on 11/11/2013 6:55:14 PM PST by BenLurkin
After the tragic failure of the first Phobos-Grunt mission to even make it out of low-Earth orbit, the Russian space agency (Roscosmos) is hoping to give it another go at Mars’ largest moon with the Phobos-Grunt 2 mission in 2020. This new-and-improved version of the spacecraft will also feature a lander and return stage, and, if successful, may not only end up sending back pieces of Phobos but of Mars as well.
The origins of Phobos have long been a topic of planetary science debate. Did it form with Mars as a planet? Is it a wayward asteroid that ventured too closely to Mars? Or is it a chunk of the Red Planet blasted up into orbit from an ancient impact event? Only in-depth examination of its surface material will allow scientists to determine which scenario is most likely (or if the correct answer is really “none of the above”) and Russia’s ambitious Phobos-Grunt mission attempted to become the first ever to not only land on the 16-mile-wide moon but also send samples back to Earth
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But with a decade of development already invested in the mission, Roscosmos is willing to try again
(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...
That's no moon.....
Actually hoping they succeed this time. They have something like a 2-16 record as far as mars is concerned.
Agreed. Phobos is an interesting object.
/johnny
Robots and computers can’t make the split second decisions that far out if things go wrong. The Apollo 11 landing didn’t go off as planned but thanks to Armstrong and Aldrin they could make the real time decisions needed to pull off the landing.
If the Russians are smart, they should work with the European Space Agency to launch Phobos-Grunt 2 from an Ariane 5 launcher instead.
>> That’s no moon.....
Looks like a banged-up Death Star.
/johnny
That pic reminds me of a gold dot bullet.
Well at least it isn’t a Black Talon round.
Getting shot by “Golden Dot” sounds much, much nicer.
Almost like a trip to a Yoga class.
;^)
Maybe they’ll actually get somewhere near it this time.
Thanks BenLurkin, another extra to lists.
One theory is that Phobos is a martian made object—a large hollow ship the Martians constructed when their world died. Some believe the Martians still live inside the thing!
Both Mars and our own Moon have fascinated me since childhood. I think I have just about memorized maps of the two.
Like a big titanium sphere that somebody used for target practice.
Getting shot by a black talon brings to mind a black rushing tornado of clawed destruction. Not very conducive to one’s serene state of mind.
On the other hand...
Getting shot by a Gold Dot can usher you immediately into Nirvana. Very Zen like. :)
Phobos means “fear” and Deimos means “panic”. I used to believe the Martian moons were named that because they orbited Mars in opposite directions (not true).
There’s still something about space exploration that symbolizes the human quest for new knowledge, which somehow makes it as worthwhile now as when it first began more than a half century ago.
Excellent!
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