Phobos and Deimos are two exceptional satellites of the planet Mars, translated as "fear" and "horror". This name echoes the mystery and uncertainty surrounding them, despite many years of careful study. One of the smallest in the solar system, these satellites are located close to Mars, but are hidden by the solar radiation reflected by the planet.
American astronomer Hall was the discoverer of Phobos. He also gave the first characteristics to this satellite. According to modern data, Phobos is located from its "home" planet - Mars at a distance of almost 9.5 thousand kilometers. It orbits Mars and makes a complete revolution in 7 hours 39 minutes 27 seconds. Phobos is irregular in shape. Phobos rotates around its axis, so it always faces Mars with only one side. The satellite has a diameter of 26 km.
Under the long and close observation of astronomers, Phobos raised doubts about the source of its origin. A theory was put forward about not natural, but artificial origin of the satellite. It was even backed up by certain factual arguments, namely:
- according to a group of American scientists, Phobos has a hollow space inside, that is, the outer shell surrounds a void. Researchers at Mars Express Radio Science have confirmed this data based on information about the mass and gravity of the satellite.
Research carried out in the Soviet Union included the study of Mars and its moons. However, they did not reach extraordinary heights and discoveries, in the end they failed. 1988-12-07 to Mars were sent 2 interplanetary automatic stations (AMS), which were called "Phobos-1" and "Phobos-2". They were equipped with the latest technology and included both television cameras and flight control systems, as well as spectrometers, video and sound recording devices. As a result, equipping and launching the AMS demanded about half a billion dollars. Despite an excellent start to the flight, on September 2, communication with the Phobos-1 aircraft was lost. For another 2 months, attempts were made to establish communication with the station, but on November 3 it was decided to stop the efforts. "Phobos-2" successfully operated, transmitting to the Earth the results of research and survey, the data obtained,but six months later - in the spring of 1989 (March 27) - he did not get in touch with the Mission Control Center. Scientists could not establish the reasons for the loss of communication. The tasks of both AMS included the study of unknown and mysterious phenomena occurring on Mars and its satellites; they were supposed to circle around Phobos and periodically approach its surface by 50 meters. We received images of the Phobos surface on Earth, but it was not possible to land 2 modules on the surface to study the soil, as planned. We received images of the Phobos surface on Earth, but it was not possible to land 2 modules on the surface to study the soil, as planned. We received images of the Phobos surface on Earth, but it was not possible to land 2 modules on the surface to study the soil, as planned.
Soviet researchers, on the basis of the scanty data obtained, established that near the equator of Mars, straight lines of infrared radiation are visible in the images. They do not show geological layers in the composition of the soil, but indicate the thermal radiation of the planet and the presence of nearby heat sources. Each of these lines could be up to 4 kilometers wide.
The satellite of Mars - Phobos - was found to consist of a mixture of rock and ice.
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Another unexplained mystery was the shadow of the regular geometric (oblong) shape in the image from the surface of Mars. It could only be thrown away by a sufficiently large object, oddly enough, absent from the picture. In this case, the picture was taken by the camera in the direction from the earth to the sky, and an incomprehensible object is clearly visible in the sky. The satellite of Mars - Phobos - was found to consist of a mixture of rock and ice, like most asteroids. The surface of Phobos is gray and pitted with craters. It was also revealed that there is a weak but constant gas leak from the satellite. It is so caught up in the pull of Mars that it will eventually collide with it (about 50 billion years later) or collapse into a ring.
The studies of Mars and its satellite - Phobos - did not stop, but, lacking qualitatively new data, they were based mainly on an ever more thorough analysis of the images of Phobos-2. A new look at them was shown by Paul Stonehill - one of the famous specialists in anomalous phenomena. He emigrated from Odessa to the United States, where he pursued journalism and writing. In 1991, Marina Popovich found him. At that time, she was already the owner of more than 100 world records on aircraft of various types, a candidate of technical sciences, an engineer-colonel of the Air Force and a 1st class test pilot. She handed Stonehill the last photo taken by Phobos 2, which interested the scientist from the point of view of anomalism. It clearly showed a cylindrical object with a diameter of at least 25 km.
According to the Main Directorate of Space Research of the USSR, "Phobos-2" could come into contact with him and be destroyed by intelligent beings. This image became one of the main ones in the preparation of the book "UFOs in the USSR", published in the USA in 1996 by Stonehill in collaboration with F. Mantley, another researcher of anomalous phenomena. The book also mentioned information received from M. Popovich and the photograph she gave from Phobos-2.
Besides Maria Popovich, V. Burdakov studied mysterious phenomena on Mars and its satellites among the outstanding astronomers of Russia. This Honored Scientist, Lecturer, Professor of the Moscow Aviation Institute was also interested in the research and analysis of unidentified flying objects. Pictures taken on Mars caught his attention.
The mystery of Phobos has not yet been solved. She continues to occupy the minds of scientists and excite ordinary people with her mystical unpredictability. In the near future, a Russian-Chinese project will be organized to prepare a flight to Mars. Perhaps his mission will be more successful than 20 years ago. American scientists also put forward similar ideas, in particular, that the study of Mars is one of the most important directions in the development of modern astronomy. For example, the American astronaut Edwin Aldrin, the second earthling to come to the lunar surface in 1969, put forward the following thesis during his speech on American television in 2009: “I see the flight to the satellites of Mars as an obligatory link in the next space exploration. These satellites are of great interest. For example, such a monolithic, like a large potato,an object like Phobos, it orbits Mars in 7 hours. It is undoubtedly worthy of attention and study."