Phobos monolith
The Phobos monolith is a large rock on the surface of Mars's 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's 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 | edit source]The Phobos monolith is featured in the Alastair Reynolds science-fiction novel Blue Remembered Earth (2012), wherein its surface has been entirely carved by visiting astronauts into the semblance of a wrecked spaceship.[citation needed]
The debut studio album by The Claypool Lennon Delirium, consisting of American multi-instrumentalists Sean Lennon and Primus vocalist and bassist Les Claypool, which was released on June 3, 2016, is called Monolith of Phobos.[12]
See also
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References
[edit | edit source]- ^ Science Illustrated - The Mysterious Moons Of Mars (10.24.2011)
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- ^ 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.
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- ^ 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
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External links
[edit | edit source]
- 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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