Comments on: Amazing Image of the Martian Moon Phobos

By: al

al — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:57:08 +0000

What the article and NASA avoid saying is that, it looks like a brushed metal underneath the worn surface, and said metal looks like it has a design.

By: Tex

Tex — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 14:41:12 +0000

My first reaction: It looks like a seed. This is excellent fodder for a sci-fi story.

By: Will

Will — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 19:41:51 +0000

Fantastic image and speaking on the gravity of the subject;
Although small as our payloads may be, has there been any n-body studies presented by the experts as to the gravitational influence on the orbital attitudes of the satellites we get up close and personal with; particularly a lightweight like Phobos or Deimos? Just fishing…

By: ScepticTim

ScepticTim — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 17:16:16 +0000

The full size version of this picture is truly fascinating. Even though Phobos gravitational field is less than 1 one thousandth of the earths we can still see evidence that material has slide down the rim of the large Stickney crater, particularly on the inside.
The intersecting pattern, near Stickney's rim, of the deep striations that appear to radiate from Stickney are suggestive of the trajectory expected of stress tensors in brittle material suggesting that they may be associated with the formation of the crater. I wonder if any attempt has been made to model and energetic impact of a brittle sphere like this 'asteroid' with a second, smaller object.

By: PHWilson

PHWilson — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 13:14:04 +0000

County Sheriff here just mumbled "fender-bender".

By: Astrofiend (Syd, Aust)

Astrofiend (Syd, Aust) — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 03:40:01 +0000

Wow, stunning picture. Check out all of those linear striations running down the length of the moon… Interesting geology. It'll certainly be a field day for planetary geologists.

By: Steve

Steve — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 23:56:31 +0000

Phobos is not worth establishing a beachhead on. A body thats 22km across does not have enough gravity to physically hold a human. Anything under 27km if a human jumps, they fly off of and won't come back.

The only suggestion I can see for actually putting anything on phobos is one of those tether systems that have been mentioned on minor asteroids.

By: Mr. LAME

Mr. LAME — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:37:36 +0000

already looks like …
amazing

By: Darnell Clayton

Darnell Clayton — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:07:37 +0000

Water ice you say?

That sure does sound interesting!

Perhaps it may be in NASA's interest to establish a beachhead on Phobos, before preceding towards the red planet.