What does it take to get out of another world?

A quick walk in the small moon of Mars, Phobos, in the shape of a potato, could well make you switch in space. Progress of space research.

The new research (which seems a little superfluous at first) has examined the latest published models of the strange form and dynamics of Phobos to study how future exploration missions should navigate in orbit around the surface. from the moon.

The strange shape of the poor moon 14 km wide means that its gravitational field varies significantly along its surface. And since the moon already has so little mass, a tiny variation in its gravity can make all the difference.

In fact, gravity being inextricably linked to weight, a person weighing 150 pounds would weigh about 2 ounces on Phobos. But researchers say that there are places on the moon where gravity is low enough to travel faster than the normal walking speed – about 5 km / h – could get you to wander in the l? space, where you will probably end. in orbit around Mars itself.

On the other hand, the study also revealed that in some areas of Phobos, you (or more realistically a rover) could briefly shine to the surface at an approximate speed of 22.5 miles per hour. For comparison purposes, the fastest registered user, Usain Bolt, was timed at 27.8 miles at the time.

Considering that two Russian missions, Phobos 1 and Phobos 2, have already failed in the tiny world and that a Japanese landing mission at Phobos is tentatively scheduled for launch in 2024, the more we can learn about the field of asymmetrical gravitation of Phobos, the best.