But this is not all: they decided to nickname it “the human footprint” due to its similar with photography taken in 1969 that characterizes to this day, the arrival of the human being to our natural satellite.
The confusion
This lent to the conflict, since many readers and frequent followers of the reports of the research organization, interpreted that it was a human footprint on the neighboring planet. NASA, for this reason, was forced to deny the rumor on its social networks such as on its Instagram, for example, briefly explaining the history and position of Airy and Airy-0.
Both the main crater and its smaller variant had already been discovered more than 50 years ago. But the visible feature was only discovered this year, thanks to improvements in NASA’s photographic record equipment. Through the ultrasonic zoom, the Airy-0 could be photographed and the new image viralized.
NASA’s response
“As higher resolution photos became available, a smaller feature was needed. This crater, called Airy-0 (zero), was selected because it did not need to adjust existing maps,” NASA said in a statement. your publication and Instagram.
The Airy crater is known to be 43 kilometers in diameter. While the Airy-0 measures just 0.5km in diameter (that is, 50 meters). The latter is almost in the center of the former (just a few meters apart).
Planetary scientist Abigail Fraeman told National Geoprahic that these types of rock formations are often called “transverse wind ridges (TAR)”. And she added that “it is very common to see these types of formations in the craters and other depressions on Mars.”