The ExoMars Orbiter Images Mars’s moon Phobos

ExoMars first colour image of Phobos

The ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter has imaged the martian moon Phobos, this was done as part of a second set of test science measurements, the prove arrived at the Red Planet on 19 October. The Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO) spacecraft is a collaboration project between ESA and Russian Roscosmos, and they made its first scientific calibration measurements during two orbits between 20 and 28 November.

The first data example from the first orbit was published late November focused on the red planet itself. During the second orbit, the instruments made a number of measurements of Phobos, a 27×22×18 km moon that orbits Mars at a distance of only 6000 km. The TGO camera imaged the moon on 26 November from a distance of 7700 km, during the closest part of the spacecraft’s orbit around Mars, creating a colour composite from several individual images, also an anaglyph was created from a stereo pair of images. 

Phobos in 3D

Currently the elliptical orbit of the TGO takes it to within 230–310 km of the surface at its closest point to Mars and around 98 000 km at its furthest every 4.2 days. The focus of the mission now returns to preparations for aerobraking required to bring the spacecraft towards its near-circular science orbit by the end of 2017. TGO will also act as a data relay for present and future landers and rovers on Mars, including the second ExoMars mission that will feature a rover and surface science platform, and which is scheduled for launch in 2020.

ExoMars science orbit 2

Credit: ESA