Aster › Space program › Deimos
Deimos
Position on the route: 6/45 · level needed 14 · journey (Mk0 engine) 5.4 h
By the numbers
| Diameter | 12 km (mean) |
|---|---|
| Distance from Mars | 23,460 km |
| Orbital period | 30 h 18 min |
| Density | 1.5 g/cm³ |
The story
Mars’s outer moon and one of the smallest in the Solar System. From Mars it looks like a star and stays in the sky for more than 60 hours. A thin blanket of dust covers it, and it is much smoother than Phobos.
Its orbit is circular and stable; unlike Phobos it will not fall to Mars. It is well placed as a fuel depot and communications relay for Mars orbit.
Missions
- Viking 2 (1977): first close photographs from 30 km
- MRO and Mars Express: surface mapping
Colony note
Small and quiet, an observation and logistics outpost at the base of Mars’s orbit.
What probes bring back
- Its surface is blanketed in dust and smoother than Phobos.
- Density 1.5 g/cm³: a porous rubble pile.