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By NASA
4 min read
Preparations for Next Moonwalk Simulations Underway (and Underwater)
NASA’s Perseverance rover captured the silhouette of the Martian moon Phobos as it passed in front of the Sun on Sept. 30, 2024. The video shows the transit speeded up by four times, followed by the eclipse in real time. NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU/MSSS/SSI The tiny, potato-shaped moon Phobos, one of two Martian moons, cast a silhouette as it passed in front of the Sun, creating an eye in Mars’ sky.
From its perch on the western wall of Mars’ Jezero Crater, NASA’s Perseverance rover recently spied a “googly eye” peering down from space. The pupil in this celestial gaze is the Martian moon Phobos, and the iris is our Sun.
Captured by the rover’s Mastcam-Z on Sept. 30, the 1,285th Martian day of Perseverance’s mission, the event took place when the potato-shaped moon passed directly between the Sun and a point on the surface of Mars, obscuring a large part of the Sun’s disc. At the same time that Phobos appeared as a large black disc rapidly moving across the face of the Sun, its shadow, or antumbra, moved across the planet’s surface.
Astronomer Asaph Hall named the potato-shaped moon in 1877, after the god of fear and panic in Greek mythology; the word “phobia” comes from Phobos. (And the word for fear of potatoes, and perhaps potato-shaped moons, is potnonomicaphobia.) He named Mars’ other moon Deimos, after Phobos’ mythological twin brother.
Roughly 157 times smaller in diameter than Earth’s Moon, Phobos is only about 17 miles (27 kilometers) at its widest point. Deimos is even smaller.
Rapid Transit
Because Phobos’ orbit is almost perfectly in line with the Martian equator and relatively close to the planet’s surface, transits of the moon occur on most days of the Martian year. Due to its quick orbit (about 7.6 hours to do a full loop around Mars), a transit of Phobos usually lasts only 30 seconds or so.
This is not the first time that a NASA rover has witnessed Phobos blocking the Sun’s rays. Perseverance has captured several Phobos transits since landing at Mars’ Jezero Crater in February 2021. Curiosity captured a video in 2019. And Opportunity captured an image in 2004.
By comparing the various images, scientists can refine their understanding of the moon’s orbit to learn how it’s changing. Phobos is getting closer to Mars and is predicted to collide with it in about 50 million years.
More About Perseverance
Arizona State University leads the operations of the Mastcam-Z instrument, working in collaboration with Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, on the design, fabrication, testing, and operation of the cameras, and in collaboration with the Niels Bohr Institute of the University of Copenhagen on the design, fabrication, and testing of the calibration targets.
A key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust).
Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis.
The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet.
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which is managed for the agency by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.
Space Science Institute produced this video.
For more about Perseverance:
https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020
News Media Contacts
Karen Fox / Molly Wasser
NASA Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
karen.c.fox@nasa.gov / molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov
DC Agle
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.
818-393-9011
agle@jpl.nasa.gov
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Last Updated Oct 30, 2024 Related Terms
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By USH
Over the years, numerous mysterious events have been witnessed in the sky, defying explanation. Recently, yet another unusual sky phenomenon was observed over Southern Australia capturing attention and sparking curiosity.
Video footage reveals what appears to be a dome-shaped structure, with an even stranger detail: lightning seems to bounce off or perhaps even originate from within the dome.
The mysterious formation has led to numerous theories. Some viewers suggest it could be a unique (red) rainbow or a rare weather event like a haboob (sandstorm). Others speculate it might be the result of weather manipulation or even an energy field projected over the region.
Opinions also vary on the lightning, some say it’s bouncing off the dome, while others believe it could be emanating from within. Although it may just be an unusual natural phenomenon, the seemly strange interaction with the lightning remains unexplained.
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By NASA
Better Monitoring of the Air Astronauts Breathe
Ten weeks of operations showed that a second version of the Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor is sensitive enough to determine variations in the composition of cabin air inside the International Space Station. Volatile organic compounds and particulates in cabin air could pose a health risk for crew members, and this device increases the speed and accuracy of assessing such risk.
Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor is a miniaturized gas chromatograph mass spectrometer used to analyze the air inside the space station and ensure that it is safe for the crew and equipment. The device automatically reports results to the ground, eliminating the need to return samples to Earth. This version has several other technological advances, including that it can be relocated, is smaller, and uses less power.
The first Spacecraft Atmosphere Monitor device on the International Space Station. NASA/Chris Cassidy Digging Deeper into Microgravity Effects on Muscle
Prolonged exposure to microgravity affects human muscle precursor cells known as satellite cells and causes changes in the expression of specific genes involved in muscle structure and nerves. Exercise regimens on the space station do not adequately prevent or counteract muscle loss in astronauts, which can affect their motor function during missions and after return to Earth. Results could inform design of nutritional and pharmacological countermeasures to muscle changes during spaceflight.
Muscle loss represents a major obstacle to human long-term spaceflight. Myogravity, an investigation developed with the Italian space agency ASI, looked at microgravity-induced changes in adult stem cells involved in the growth, maintenance, and repair of skeletal muscle tissue, known as satellite cells. These cells may play a major role in muscle loss during spaceflight.
European Space Agency astronaut Paolo Nespoli sets up the Myogravity experiment. NASA Validating Next-Generation Earth Measurements
Researchers completed a preliminary evaluation of the station’s Hyperspectral Imager Suite (HISUI) and report that the difference between model-corrected and actual measurements is small. Validation of spaceborne optical sensors like HISUI is important to demonstrate they provide the accuracy needed for scientific research.
The JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) HISUI investigation tests a next-generation spaceborne hyperspectral Earth imaging system for gathering data on reflection of light from Earth’s surface, which reveals characteristics and physical properties of a target area. This technology has potential applications such as monitoring vegetation and identifying natural resources.
The Hyperspectral Imager Suite is visible on the far left in this image outside the space station. NASAView the full article
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By NASA
Microgravity had no immediate effect on a person’s ability to perceive the height of an object, indicating that astronauts can safely perform tasks that rely on accurate and precise height judgments soon after arrival in space.
We use the height and width of objects around us to complete tasks such as reaching for objects and deciding whether we can fit through an opening. VECTION, an investigation from the Canadian Space Agency, examined the effect of microgravity on an astronaut’s visual perception and how that ability may adapt during flight or upon return to Earth. Researchers conclude there is no need for countermeasures but suggest that space travelers be made aware of late-emerging and potentially long-lasting changes in the ability to perceive object height.
Canadian Space Agency astronaut David Saint-Jacques conducts a session for the VECTION experiment. NASA/Anne McClain Analysis of the genomes of five new species of bacteria found on the International Space Station identified specific adaptations to space, including the development of increased antibiotic resistance and a greater potential for causing diseases. The genes that facilitate these adaptations could serve as potential targets for drugs, helping to protect crew health on future missions.
Microbial Tracking-2 monitored viruses, bacteria, and fungi on the space station to catalog and characterize any with the potential to cause disease. Understanding the mechanisms behind adaptations to space could advance development of ways to protect crew member health as well as spacecraft and equipment on future missions. Microbial adaptations also have potential applications in biotechnology, such as engineering more resilient organisms for use in space and extraterrestrial environments.
A Microbial Tracking-2 sample collector on the International Space Station. NASA/Jack Fischer When NASA’s Airborne Lightning Observatory for Fly’s Eye and the space station’s ASIM instrument briefly passed over the same geographic area, the airborne instrument detected terrestrial gamma‐ray flashes (TGFs) that were not detected by ASIM. TGFs are short bursts of gamma‐rays produced by lightning in thunderclouds. This result suggests that a significant number of TGFs are too weak to be observed from space and that the percentage of lightning associated with these phenomena may be higher than previously thought.
ASIM, an investigation from the European Space Agency, studies high-altitude lightning in thunderstorms and the role it plays in Earth’s atmosphere and climate. Results could help scientists develop better atmospheric models to guide weather and climate prediction and response. The airborne instrument took measurements at an altitude of about 12 miles and ASIM at approximately 260 miles above Earth’s surface.
A view of ASIM mounted on the outside of the space station. NASAView the full article
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By Space Force
U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman and Chief Master Sgt. of the Space Force John Bentivegna set expectations for BMT graduates during graduation.
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