Spring Break
APL instrument images twin Martian moons
Issue date: 12/6/07
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From its unique vantage point high above the surface of the Red Planet, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has not only been able to image our chilly cosmic neighbor but has also caught glimpses of its two small moons.
Phobos and Deimos, named for two figures in Greek mythology who associated with Mars, the god of war, were recently imaged by CRISM, or the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, an instrument package on board the orbiter which is operated by the Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
Although the namesakes of the two moons were known to inspire terror across the ancient world, APL's discoveries are not in the least bit frightening.
The satellite has mapped and analyzed Mars's two moons with unmatched resolution. CRISM has obtained the best images yet of Mars's smaller satellite, Deimos (the god of terror), which is hardly worth its title at a mere 12 kilometers or 7.5 miles in diameter.
Scientists also analyzed the geologic composition of Phobos better than ever before because spectral measurements from CRISM span a wider band of the electromagnetic spectrum than previous surveys of the two moons have allowed. This allows more data to be collected about the chemicals within the moon.
The greater range of data available for analysis makes it possible to determine with greater precision the quantities of certain key substances on Phobos's surface, especially compounds containing iron, water and carbon.
With the latest CRISM measurements, the APL team has also been able to correct certain previous assumptions about the moons.
For instance, it has previously been thought that the two moons are made of a primitive or relatively unprocessed cosmic material known to be prevalent in solar systems before planets begin to form and which are also found quite prevalently in the outer asteroid belt.
However, it is now believed that the two tiny satellites are actually composed of an even more primitive material commonly found in the outermost solar system.
Phobos and Deimos, named for two figures in Greek mythology who associated with Mars, the god of war, were recently imaged by CRISM, or the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars, an instrument package on board the orbiter which is operated by the Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.
Although the namesakes of the two moons were known to inspire terror across the ancient world, APL's discoveries are not in the least bit frightening.
The satellite has mapped and analyzed Mars's two moons with unmatched resolution. CRISM has obtained the best images yet of Mars's smaller satellite, Deimos (the god of terror), which is hardly worth its title at a mere 12 kilometers or 7.5 miles in diameter.
Scientists also analyzed the geologic composition of Phobos better than ever before because spectral measurements from CRISM span a wider band of the electromagnetic spectrum than previous surveys of the two moons have allowed. This allows more data to be collected about the chemicals within the moon.
The greater range of data available for analysis makes it possible to determine with greater precision the quantities of certain key substances on Phobos's surface, especially compounds containing iron, water and carbon.
With the latest CRISM measurements, the APL team has also been able to correct certain previous assumptions about the moons.
For instance, it has previously been thought that the two moons are made of a primitive or relatively unprocessed cosmic material known to be prevalent in solar systems before planets begin to form and which are also found quite prevalently in the outer asteroid belt.
However, it is now believed that the two tiny satellites are actually composed of an even more primitive material commonly found in the outermost solar system.
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