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WHAT TO SEE
It's definitely worth taking the 6,000 km trip from Mars to its nearest moon, Phobos.
We recommend a day trip to fly over this oddly-shaped moon. Although small, there's more to see here than on the other Martian moon, Deimos.
Stickney Crater
Unlike Deimos, Phobos's surface is battered and scarred. The largest crater on the moon, the Stickney crater, is 10km across.
Many grooves cover the oddly shaped surface. They were probably formed during the same impact that created the Stickney Crater.
Water on Phobos?
In 1989, the Russian spacecraft, Phobos 2 studied this moon. Shortly before it stopped transmitting, the probe found clues suggesting there was ice on the surface.
If this is confirmed, Phobos may someday be a useful site for a space station. From here, you could study Mars or stop off on trips to and from the Martian surface.
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LOCAL HISTORY
Phobos and Deimos were sons of the Greek god of war. In Greek, phobos means 'fright'.
The origin of both moons is a mystery. But the most likely explanation is that they were once asteroids that have now been captured by Mars' gravitational field.
 Explore the asteroid belt
Phobos is doomed
The future of Phobos is bleak. Gravitational forces are pulling Phobos closer and closer to Mars at a current rate of 1.8 metres per century.
In around 50 million years, Phobos faces one of two fates. It'll either crash on to the surface of Mars, or more likely it'll break up into a ring, like the ones around Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus.
SPOTTING PHOBOS FROM THE EARTH
Phobos can be seen from the Earth with a good telescope. The best time for this is when Mars passes closest Earth.
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