On the way to the Asteroids Darmomed, the spaceship Hera made a transcendence to close distance from the planet Mars and photographed his moon, the showThe European Space Agency (ESA) announced today.

Hera was launched last October and will reach its final goal, in the Asteroid Zone between Mars and Jupiter in late 2026. Waiting, approaching the red planet yesterday to take these rare photos.

The spacecraft reached 5,600 kilometers from the surface of Mars, at a dizzying speed of 33,480 kilometers per hour. For about 60 minutes he tested his organs and at the same time took about 600 photos, including rare images of the invisible on the Mars side of the Demos. The small satellite, just 12.5 kilometers in diameter, is illustrated, as opposed to its planet.

The photos will allow scientists to “add another piece to the puzzle” as they try to explain the origin of the Demos, explained Marcel Popescu of the University of Craiova in Romania. Of particular interest are the photos taken by Tiri, the infrared image reproductionor and the hyperscout, the infrared spectroscope – which explains why Mars appears … blue. Through them, scientists will learn more about the thermophysic characteristics and the composition of Dimos, before they undertake to explain the mysteries of the two.

Hera’s main mission is to study the little asteroid, in which he deliberately hit a NASA spaceship in 2022 to change his orbit. The European spaceship will study the consequences of the impact, with the ultimate goal of appreciating experts if this technique would be effective to change the course of a body that would threaten the Earth in the future.