Odyssey probe captures first image of Phobos

Washington : NASA’s odyssey orbiter - the longest-lived mission to Mars - has taken the first look at Phobos, and produced a colour-coded image revealing surface temperatures of the Martian moon considered to be a potential future human-mission outpost.

The Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS) camera on NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter observed Phobos on 29 September. Researchers combined visible-wavelength and infrared data to produce an image colour-coded for surface temperatures of this moon, which has been considered for a potential future human-mission outpost.

“Although THEMIS has been at Mars for 16 years, this was the first time we have been able to turn the spacecraft around to look at Phobos,” said Jonathon Hill, THEMIS Mission Planner. “This half-moon view of Phobos was chosen because it allowed us to observe a wide range of temperatures on the surface,” said Hill.