Closest Ever View of Martian Moon

March 7: The High Resolution Stereo Camera onboard the ESA spacecraft Mars Express took this image of Phobos. (ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum))

March 7: The High Resolution Stereo Camera onboard the ESA spacecraft Mars Express took the images for this stereo composite of the surface of the moon Phobos. Due to the stereo viewing geometry during the flyby a small part of the moon’s edge is only visible for the right eye resulting in odd 3D-perception in this area. (ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum))

Mars with its tiny moon Phobos.  (NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems)

All the planetary moons in our solar system are shown here at their correct relative size and true color. Their diversity of size and appearance is testament to the unique and fascinating geologic history that each of these bodies has undergone. The moons are organized by the planet they orbit (top to bottom with increasing distance from the Sun) and their position relative to the planet (left to right with increasing distance from the planet). Earth's moon is at top, and Mars's two tiny moons Phobos and Deimos are next, dwarfed by Jupiter's giant moons. (Image processing: Tim Parker (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and Paul Schenk and Robert Herrick (Lunar and Planetary Institute), based on NASA images)

March 7: The High Resolution Stereo Camera onboard the ESA spacecraft Mars Express took this image of the Phobos Grunt landing area. The image resolution is 4.4m per pixel and the insert marks the proposed landing region and sites for Phobos-Grunt. (ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum))

Phobos as seen by the HRSC nadir channel during Mars Express Orbit 7926.<br> This image was enhanced photometrically to better bring out features in the less-illuminated part. (ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum))

March 10: The High Resolution Stereo Camera on board the ESA spacecraft Mars Express took the images for this 3D stereo composite of the surface of the moon. (ESA/DLR/FU Berlin (G. Neukum))

A Closer Look at Phobos. (NASA)

Artist's concept of future exploration programs on Phobos. (NASA)

This image shows a close-up of the largest crater on Phobos, Stickney, 10 kilometers in diameter. (NASA)

This pair of Mars Global Surveyor Mars Orbiter Camera color images shows early autumn clouds over the Arsia Mons volcano, plus the shadow of the innermost of the two martain moons, Phobos. (NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems)

This montage shows asteroid 951 Gaspra compared with Deimos and Phobos, the moons of Mars. All three bodies have irregular shapes, due to past catastrophic conditions. However their surfaces appear remarkably different, possibly because of differences in composition but most likely because of very different impact histories. (NASA)

This image of Phobos, the inner and larger of the two moons of Mars, was taken by the Mars Global Surveyor on August 19, 1998. (NASA)

Get out your red/blue glasses and float next to Phobos, grooved moon of Mars! This tantalizing stereo anaglyph view shows the Mars-facing side of the asteroid-like moon's cratered and grooved surface. (G. Neukum [ http://www.esa.int/…] (FU Berlin [ http://www.fu-berli…]) et al., Mars Express [ http://www.esa.int/…SEMVQ95V9ED_0.html ], DLR [ http://solarsystem.…], ESA [ http://www.esa.int/] )

A northern mid-latitude scene consisting of craters, intercrater plains, and mantled material is seen in this HiRISE image. (NASA/JPL/Univ. of Arizona)

On 23 July 2008, the High Resolution Stereo Camera on board the ESA’s Mars Express took the highest-resolution full-disc image yet of the surface of the moon Phobos. (ESA/ DLR/ FU Berlin (G. Neukum))

March 23, 2008: Enhanced-color view of Phobos obtained by Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. (Wikipedia)

This is an impression of the completely deployed MARSIS experiment on board ESA's Mars Express orbiter. The MARSIS experiment will map the Martian sub-surface structure to a depth of a few kilometres. The instrument's 40-metre long antenna booms will send low frequency radio waves towards the planet, which will be reflected from any surface they encounte (ESA)