Phobos: The Artificial Moon Theory and the Signal Cut Before Landing
In 1989, Phobos 2 lost contact just before releasing instruments meant to measure Mars’s moon. Low density, long grooves, and an image of a strange object fuel the rumour that Phobos is an artificial construction under guard.
Read in Vietnamese →Phobos is the larger moon of Mars. It is only about 27 kilometres across, yet it orbits very close to the planet and completes one revolution in about 7 hours 39 minutes. Its surface contains the nearly 10-kilometre-wide Stickney crater, large boulders, dust, and long grooves that cross much of the moon. Scientists still debate its origin. Phobos may be an asteroid captured by Mars, or material thrown into orbit by a major impact and later gathered into a moon.
In March 1989, the Soviet Phobos 2 spacecraft was orbiting Mars. It had returned 37 detailed images and was preparing to release two devices onto Phobos. One was a stationary station. The other was a hopping robot designed to collect measurements across the surface. Contact disappeared exactly as the mission moved toward its most important step. The signal never returned.
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