Martian Moons Exploration
Martian Moons Exploration
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| Mission type | Sample return |
|---|---|
| Operator | ISAS / JAXA |
| Website | mmx.isas.jaxa.jp |
| Mission duration | ~5 years (planned) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Manufacturer | JAXA |
| Dry mass | Propulsion module: 1,800 kg Exploration module: 150 k Return module: 1,050 kg[1] |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | September 2024 (planned)[2] |
Phobos lander | |
| Landing date | March 2025[2] |
| Return launch | August 2028[2] |
| Sample mass | ≥10 g (0.35 oz)[3] |
The Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) is a robotic space probe set for launch in 2024 to bring back the first samples from Mars' largest moon Phobos.[2][4] Developed by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and announced in 9 June 2015, MMX will land and collect samples from Phobos once or twice, along with conducting Deimos flyby observations and monitoring Mars' climate.[5][6]
The mission aims to provide key information to help determine whether the Martian moons are captured asteroids or the result of a larger body hitting Mars.
Contents
1 Overview
2 International collaboration
3 Scientific payload
4 Sampling
5 See also
6 References
Overview[edit]
Phobos, the largest moon of Mars
The spacecraft will enter orbit around Mars, then transfer to Phobos,[7] and land once or twice and gather sand-like regolith particles using a simple pneumatic system.[8] The lander mission aims to retrieve a minimum 10 g (0.35 oz) of samples.[3][9] The spacecraft will then take off from Phobos and make several flybys of the smaller moon Deimos before sending the Sample Return Capsule back to Earth, arriving in July 2029.[7][2]
The mission architecture uses three modules: propulsion module (1,800 kg), exploration module (150 kg) and the return module (1,050 kg).[1] With the mass of Deimos and Phobos being too small to capture a satellite, it is not possible to orbit the Martian moons in the usual sense. However, orbits of a special kind, referred to as quasi-satellite orbits, can be sufficiently stable to allow many months of operations in the vicinity of the moon.[1][10]
The mission leader is Yasuhiro Kawakatsu.
International collaboration[edit]
NASA, ESA, and CNES[11] are also participating in the project, and will provide scientific instruments.[12][13] The U.S. will contribute a neutron and gamma-ray spectrometer called MEGANE (an acronym for Mars-moon Exploration with GAmma rays and NEutrons, which also means "eyeglasses" in Japanese),[7][14] and France (CNES) the Near IR Spectrometer (NIRS4/MacrOmega).[9][15] France is also contributing expertise in flight dynamics to plan the mission's orbiting and landing manoeuvres.[8]
Development and testing of key components, including the sampler, is ongoing.[16] As of 2017, MMX is scheduled to be launched in 2024, and will return to Earth five years later.[9]
Scientific payload[edit]
The scientific payload consists on Japanese and international contributions. They will be powered by solar arrays.[2]
Gamma ray and Neutron Spectrometer (MEGANE) - developed by NASA, USA- Wide Angle Multiband Camera (WAM)
- Near-Infrared Spectrometer (MacrOmega) - developed by CNES, France.
- Telescopic Camera (TL)
- Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR)
- Circum-Martian Dust Monitor (CMDM)
- Mass Spectrum Analyzer (MSA)
- Deployable Camera (DCAM5)
Additionally, the Gravity GradioMeter (GGM), Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS), Mission Survival Module (MSM) are proposed as additional instruments.[17]
The CNES team is also conducting a study of the feasibility of including a small rover.[8]
Sampling[edit]
For sample collection, the mission opted to use an air gun to puff pressurised gas, pushing about 10 grams of soil into the sample container.[18] The spacecraft will then take off from Phobos and make several flybys of the smaller moon Deimos before sending the Sample Return Capsule back to Earth, arriving in July 2029.[7][2]
See also[edit]
- List of missions to Mars
Nozomi, an unsuccessful Japanese orbiter to study Martian climate
- Proposed missions to Mars' moons
- Fobos Grunt
Phobos And Deimos & Mars Environment (PADME)- Phobos Surveyor
- Phobos program
- Phootprint
References[edit]
^ abc Japanese mission of the two moons of Mars with sample return from Phobos. Hirdy Miyamoto, University of Tokyo. 2016.
^ abcdefg MMX Homepage. JAXA, 2017
^ ab Gravity both too strong and too weak: landing on the Martian moons. JAXA News. 31 August 2017
^ "JAXA plans probe to bring back samples from moons of Mars". 10 June 2015 – via Japan Times Online..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "Observation plan for Martian meteors by Mars-orbiting MMX spacecraft" (PowerPoint). June 10, 2016. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
^ "A giant impact: Solving the mystery of how Mars' moons formed". ScienceDaily. July 4, 2016. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
^ abcd NASA confirms contribution to Japanese-led Mars mission. Stephen Clark, Space Flight Now. 20 November 2017.
^ abc How to find the best samples on a moon: Building relationships and solving engineering challenges in France. JAXA News, 4 December 2017.
^ abc Fujimoto, Masaki (January 11, 2017). "JAXA's exploration of the two moons of Mars, with sample return from Phobos" (PDF). Lunar and Planetary Institute. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
^ Quasi-Satellite Orbits around Deimos and Phobos motivated by the DePhine Mission Proposal. (PDF) Sofya Spiridonova, Kai Wickhusen, Ralph Kahle, and Jürgen Oberst. DLR, German Space Operations Center, Germany. 2017.
^ "Coopération spatiale entre la France et le Japon Rencontre à Paris entre le CNES et la JAXA-ISAS" (PDF) (Press release) (in French). CNES. February 10, 2017. Retrieved March 23, 2017.
^ "ISASニュース 2017.1 No.430" (PDF) (in Japanese). Institute of Space and Astronautical Science. 22 January 2017. Retrieved 2016-03-23.
^ Green, James (June 7, 2016). "Planetary Science Division Status Report" (PDF). Lunar and Planetary Institute. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
^ Back to the Red Planet. Johns Hopkins APL. 17 November 2017.
^ "A STUDY OF NEAR-INFRARED HYPERSPECTRAL IMAGING OF MARTIAN MOONS BY NIRS4/MACROMEGA ONBOARD MMX SPACECRAFT" (PDF). Lunar and Planetary Institute. March 23, 2017. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
^ "ISASニュース 2016.7 No.424" (PDF) (in Japanese). Institute of Space and Astronautical Science. 22 July 2016. Retrieved 2017-03-23.
^ Ozaki, Masanobu; Shiraishi, Hiroaki; Fujimoto, Masaki (5 January 2017). "火星衛星探査計画（MMX）の科学観測装置" (in Japanese). JAXA. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
^ Preparing for the unexpected: a second way to sample a moon. Yasutaka Satou, JAXA News. 25 October 2017.
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Missions are ordered by launch date. Sign † indicates failure en route or before intended mission data returned. | ||||||||||
Categories:
- Japanese space probes
- Landers (spacecraft)
- Missions to Mars
- Phobos (moon)
- Sample return missions
- Soft landings on Mars
- Proposed space probes
- 2024 in spaceflight
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