Phobos, one of the Martian moons, may actually hold key information about what Mars was like in the past, according to new research, because it was right in the path of the Martian atmosphere as it escaped out into space.
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Illustration of of Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander on the lunar surface. The lander will carry a suite of 10 science investigations and technology demonstrations to the moon in 2023 as part of NASA s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Photo Credit: Firefly Aerospace
On Feb. 4, NASA announced that it has awarded Firefly Aerospace (Cedar Park, Texas, U.S.) approximately $93.3 million to deliver a suite of 10 science investigations and technology demonstrations to the moon in 2023. The delivery, planned for Mare Crisium, a low-lying basin on the moon’s near side, is expected to investigate a variety of lunar surface conditions and resources. Such investigations are intended to help prepare for human missions to the lunar surface, NASA says.
Runaway ions from Mars may prove or disprove the idea that Mars was once much more Earthlike, with a thick atmosphere and liquid water on its surface. There could have even been some sort of life. Whatever is left of the Red Planet’s atmosphere (if you could even call it that) has less than one percent of Earth’s atmospheric density. Phobos is thought to have collected quite a few ions from Mars because it orbits extremely close to the planet. Because it is tidally locked, like our Moon, so one side is always facing Mars. That side has been exposed to anywhere from 20 to 100 times more ions than the far side, so whatever relics are left of Mars’ atmosphere could be embedded in its surface.