The European spacecraft took rare photographs of Mars’ mysterious satellite – Damos during a flight passing through the red planet on the belt between Hera, Mars and Jupiter. Reporting this European Space Agency (ESA).
The Hera mission aims to examine the results of the NASA collision with an asteroid in 2022 – at the first of the Earth’s planetary protection test. Hera is expected to reach the asteroid Dimorphos, which is 11 million kilometers from Earth at the end of 2026.
On Wednesday, Hera used Mars’s gravity to change the flight road and fuel savings. During this maneuver, the device was only 5600 kilometers from the surface of the planet and moved at a speed of 33480 km/h.
Within one hour, it took about 600 photos, including the images of the device Damos – smaller and less than the two satellites of Mars. The drop diameter is only 12.5 kilometers.
The origin of Damos continues to be a mystery for scientists. There are two main hypotheses: or Deimos and his “brother” Fobos were asteroids who once captured by Mars’s gravity, or they could occur as a result of a major conflict with the surface of the planet.
According to Marseille Popescu from the Institute of Astronomy of the Romanian Academy, new paintings will help solve this secret and add “another part of the puzzle”. Hiperskut and infrared devices of Hera will examine the composition of the surface of the Damos and receive new data about the origin.
Previously, scientists To create A new way to come to life on distant planets.
What are you thinking?
Source: Gazeta
Barbara Dickson is a seasoned writer for “Social Bites”. She keeps readers informed on the latest news and trends, providing in-depth coverage and analysis on a variety of topics.