The Moons of Mars - Term Paper Example

They are not only being speculated as the next best targets for space colonization, but also as gateways for further cost-effective investigations on Mars. This is largely because lifting off and landing of spaceships on Phobos and Deimos would take up lesser fuel than similar missions on Mars or the Moon, owing to their lesser gravity (about 1/1000th that of the Earth), and low atmospheric resistance. Since manned missions to the Martian moons are much more feasible, it would be possible for humans to investigate and explore the Red Planet further, from remote observatories located on its moons.

This would be more productive than using robots and probes for scientific investigation. As Siegfried Fred Singer describes it, in The Scientific American: The basic advantage of astronauts is that they can explore Mars in real time, free of communications delays and capable of following up interesting results with new experiments. Robots, even after decades of research to make them completely autonomous, cannot manage without people in the loop. But the question arises: Where should the astronauts be?

The obvious answer--on the surface of Mars--is not necessarily the most efficient. At the first "Case for Mars" conference in 1981, one of the more provocative conclusions was that the Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos, could serve as comparatively inexpensive beachheads. (1) This brings out the practicality and possibility of colonizing the Martian moons, and how it will be helpful for development of novel strategies for cheaper, fuel efficient and realistic research on Mars. The two Moons of Mars Phobos and Deimos were both discovered by Asaph Hall, using the 206-inch refractor of U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington D. C. Phobos (Greek for 'fear'), the larger of the two, is 27 kilometers long.

Its distance from Mars is just 5700 kilometers and it completes an orbit in about 8 hours. The large Stickney crater on its left is perhaps its most prominent feature. Deimos (Greek for 'Panic') is 14.5 kilometers long and completes an orbit in 30 hours. Its distance from Mars is 23,460 kilometers. Studies carried out by scientists in 1997 revealed that both the moons are about 2 billion years old and their composition is similar to meteorites, Type 1 or 2 carbonaceous chondrites, found in the Asteroid Ceres as well as in the asteroid belt.

This led to conclusions that the two moons are actually captured asteroids, and didn't actually originate from the planet itself. Two probes, Phobos 1 and Phobos 2, launched by the Soviet Union to study the two moons failed, ending the mission in 1989. The Mars Global Surveyor and the European Mars Express have carried out further observations on the Martian moons. The Mars Reconnaissance Mission is also carrying out studies on the spectral properties of the moons as part of the Mars exploration mission.

The moons look like tiny dots from the surface of Mars, according to information obtained from Mars Exploration Rovers- Spirit and Opportunity. Other missions solely for the study of the moons are currently under plans. Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/Texas Practicality of using the Martian moons as a base for Mars exploration By using Phobos and Deimos as research bases, scientists will be able to "observe the Red Planet and launch robots to its surface, while shielded by miles of rock from cosmic rays and