Russia Heading To The Moon…On Mars?

The Russians, known for their brazen attitudes in space are going to attempt a mission not even NASA is brave enough to pursue. They are going to gather lunar soil from a Martian moon.

(Mars Daily) Neither NASA nor the European Space Agency (ESA) are planning flights to Phobos, [Russian Academy of Sciences member Mikhail] Marov said. “This is a niche that foreign space agencies have left us, not only because it is an exceptionally difficult task, but also because we have already invested work in this area of planetary research.”

The landing will be a complicated operation due to the moon’s small size and high orbital speed.

What makes the lunar asteroid Phobos unique is the fact that it circles the red planet about three times a “Martian day.” Landing on this moon will be tricky, and although it is doubtful that any resources can be used from Phobos, the moon (along with its sibling Deimos) would make excellent space stations.

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