*little Deimos finally getting noticed*
Interesting little space potato of a moon...
*little Deimos finally getting noticed*
Two points to redliox for that reference.
Deimos seen by Hope Mars Mission:
A really interesting outcome of these observations is that they seem to rule out the prevailing theory that Deimos is a captured asteroid.
The composition seems instead to hint at Deimos being of martian origin.
Any time an observational result upsets the conventional thinking, much new learning ensues.
A really interesting outcome of these observations is that they seem to rule out the prevailing theory that Deimos is a captured asteroid.
The composition seems instead to hint at Deimos being of martian origin.
The Japanese MMX mission is intended to definitively answer that. I'm not sure that observations alone can be definitive. Sample analysis may be the only definitive technique.
A really interesting outcome of these observations is that they seem to rule out the prevailing theory that Deimos is a captured asteroid.
The composition seems instead to hint at Deimos being of martian origin.
The Japanese MMX mission is intended to definitively answer that. I'm not sure that observations alone can be definitive. Sample analysis may be the only definitive technique.
Their mission, like most for the scant Martian moon studies, will largely focus on Phobos (sample retrieval) but Deimos at least gets a few decent flybys. Although I doubt a Deimos sampling will ever happen, I'm very curious if both moons share the same composition; right now we're largely assuming they do since, overall, they're not totally dissimilar either. The hypothesis involving a Martian collision-birth implies Deimos might be older and more intact whereas Phobos is a 3rd or 4th generation recycling job; if that's true there's going to be some structural difference.
Their mission, like most for the scant Martian moon studies, will largely focus on Phobos (sample retrieval) but Deimos at least gets a few decent flybys. Although I doubt a Deimos sampling will ever happen, I'm very curious if both moons share the same composition; right now we're largely assuming they do since, overall, they're not totally dissimilar either. The hypothesis involving a Martian collision-birth implies Deimos might be older and more intact whereas Phobos is a 3rd or 4th generation recycling job; if that's true there's going to be some structural difference.
But I think that's down in the weeds. The biggest question is captured asteroid vs. part of Mars. That should be answered by MMX. And if you answer it for one moon, you answer it for both. (I'm not assuming you don't know this. I'm just stating it for clarity.)
