Tiny Mars moon Deimos gets a rare close-up, thanks to Europe's Hera asteroid probe (photos)
The results of Hera's flyby could ultimately tell us whether Deimos is a captured asteroid or made from debris from a giant impact on Mars.
Hera Asteroid Probe Spots Mysterious Martian Moon During Flyby
The Hera probe has swung around Mars, using the planet’s gravitational pull to fling itself toward its asteroid target. During its brief rendezvous with the Red Planet, Hera caught a glimpse of the less-seen side of Mars’ smaller, tidally-locked moon as it orbited its home planet.
Asteroid probe snaps rare images of Martian moon
For an hour, HERA flew as close as 5,600 kilometers from the Martian surface, at a speed of 33,480 kilometers an hour. It used the opportunity to test some of its scientific instruments, snapping around 600 pictures, including rare ones of Deimos.
European spacecraft got rare close-up of Mars' lesser-known moon
While the car-sized spacecraft flew around the Mars system, flight controllers on Earth temporarily lost communication with Hera because the signal was blocked. Though the blackout was planned for the maneuver, Ian Carnelli, the European Space Agency's Hera mission manager, said it was deeply emotional.
ESA’s Hera Probe captures stunning Mars and Deimos images on its way to asteroid mission
ESA’s Hera probe captures stunning images of Mars and its moon Deimos during a historic flyby, offering new insights into the Red Planet
European spacecraft captures rare images of Mars moon Deimos
On the way to investigate the scene of a historic asteroid collision, a European spacecraft swung by Mars and captured rare images of the red planet’s mysterious small moon, Deimos, the European Space Agency said on Thursday.
Asteroid probe snaps rare photos of Martian moon
For an hour, HERA flew as close as 5,600 kilometres from the Martian surface, at a speed of 33,480 kilometres an hour. It used the opportunity to test some of its scientific instruments, snapping around 600 pictures, including rare ones of Deimos.
Mysterious Mars moon captured in unprecedented images by space probe
A space probe named Hera captured images of Mars' small Deimos moon while on a mission to examine an asteroid.
Check Out These Rare Images of Deimos, One of Mars' Mysterious Moons
Hera spacecraft captured rare images of Deimos, one of Mars’ two moons, from 621 miles away while en route to the asteroid moonlet Dimorphos. Like our moon, Deimos is tidally locked to Mars, meaning the same side always faces the planet—the only side visible to rovers on the Martian surface.
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Spacecraft Takes Time to Shoot Mars' More Mysterious Moon as It Heads Deep Into Space
The European Space Agency (ESA) fires up three of the instruments on the Hera spacecraft and takes images of the smaller ...
Mars Gets a Close-Up and a Photo Bomb as Europe’s Hera Mission Swoops Past
The Red Planet and its tiny moon Deimos were recorded at a very near distance as the asteroid-chasing spacecraft completed a flyby on Wednesday.