The Phobos monolith is a large rock on the surface of Mars' moon Phobos.[1] It is a boulder, about 85 m (279 ft) across and 90 m (300 ft) tall.[2][3] A monolith is a geological feature consisting of a single massive piece of rock. Monoliths also occur naturally on Earth, but it has been suggested that the Phobos monolith may be a piece of impact ejecta. The monolith is a bright object near Stickney crater, described as a "building sized" boulder, which casts a prominent shadow.[4][5] It was discovered by Efrain Palermo, who did extensive surveys of Martian probe imagery, and later confirmed by Lan Fleming, an imaging sub-contractor at NASA Johnson Space Center.[6]
The general vicinity of the monolith is a proposed landing site by Optech and the Mars Institute, for a robotic mission to Phobos known as PRIME (Phobos Reconnaissance and International Mars Exploration).[4] The PRIME mission would be composed of an orbiter and lander, and each would carry four instruments designed to study various aspects of Phobos' geology.[7] At present, PRIME has not been funded and does not have a projected launch date. Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin has spoken about the Phobos monolith and his support for a mission to Phobos.[8]
The object appears in Mars Global Surveyor images SP2-52603[9] and SP2-55103,[10] dated 1998. The object is unrelated to another monolith located on the surface of Mars, which NASA noted as an example of a common surface feature in that region.[11]
In fiction[edit]
The Phobos monolith features in Alastair Reynolds' 2012 science-fiction novel Blue Remembered Earth, wherein its surface has been entirely carved by visiting astronauts into the semblance of a wrecked spaceship.
The debut studio album by The Claypool Lennon Delirium, consisting of American multi-instrumentalists Sean Lennon and Primus's Les Claypool, released on June 3, 2016, is called Monolith of Phobos.[12]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Science Illustrated - The Mysterious Moons Of Mars (10.24.2011)
- ^ "BBC Earth | Home".
- ^ PIA04746: Boulders on Phobos
- ^ a b Optech press release, "Canadian Mission Concept to Mysterious Mars moon Phobos to Feature Unique Rock-Dock Maneuver," 3 May 2007.
- ^ PRIME: Phobos Reconnaissance & International Mars Exploration Archived 2007-07-24 at the Wayback Machine, Mars Institute website, accessed 27 July 2009.
- ^ Fleming, Lan. "Enigmas on Mars - Phobos, Moon of Mars". thelivingmoon. Blue Knight Productions. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ^ Mullen, Leslie (30 April 2009). "New Missions Target Mars Moon Phobos". Astrobiology Magazine. Space.com. Retrieved 5 September 2009.
- ^ "C-SPAN: Buzz Aldrin Reveals Existence of Monolith on Mars Moon". YouTube. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021.
- ^ "MOC narrow-angle image SP2-52603". asimov.msss.com. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ "MOC narrow-angle image SP2-55103". asimov.msss.com. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
- ^ A rectangular object found jutting out of Mars's surface and caught on camera by the University of Arizona has caused speculation over the nature of the "monolith" and its origins. 9:45AM BST, 6 August 2009
- ^ Reed, Ryan (21 March 2016). "Sean Lennon, Primus' Les Claypool Unite for Collaborative LP, Tour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
External links[edit]
- USGS Mars Global Surveyor MOC Image 55103 - Browse Page Archived 12 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine Monolith Zoom Archived 1 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine
- Analysis in year 2000 by Lan Fleming of SPS252603 and SPS255103
- Phobos in general
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