Artist’s impression of the MMX spacecraft in launch configuration.
Credit: JAXA/ISAS
Posted on 05/04/2017 4:35:35 PM PDT by BenLurkin
Known as the Martian Moons Exploration (MMX) mission, the plan is to have a robotic spacecraft fly to Phobos and Deimos to explore their surfaces and return samples to Earth for analysis.
The spacecraft would be deployed sometime in the 2020s, and would be tasked with two main objectives. The first would be to help scientists determine the origins of Phobos and Deimos, which has been a subject of debate for some time. Whereas some believe that these moons are capture asteroids, others have argued that they were created when fragments ejected from Mars (due to giant impacts on the surface) came together.
...
The second objective focuses on the characterization of conditions both on and around the moons of Mars. This includes surface processes on Phobos and Deimos, the nature of the environment in which they orbit, and the global and temporal dynamics of Mars atmosphere – i.e. dust, clouds and water vapor.
“Airless bodies such as asteroids are exposed to space weathering processes,” said Dr. Fujimoto. “In the case of Phobos, an impact event on the surface releases many dust particles. Unlike an asteroid in the interplanetary space, dust particles will not be simply lost but will orbit around Mars and return and hit the Phobos surface. This is regarded as the reason that Phobos has a very thick regolith layer. Knowing this process is to know the attributes of returned samples better.”
(Excerpt) Read more at universetoday.com ...
Is the craft a hybrid?
Will they be taking humans?
Oh no?
Then I don’t really care.
Japanese mission to Mars?
Is that like a Shinto Mission.
Can’t be exporting religion.
We are still suffering shame from The Crusades, and probably the F-8, too.
“Sample Return Capsule” in the orginal Japanese is “Entry Capsule”
....??
Better than going to the moons of Uranus.
Oh, Micky-san. My tears, like little flowers. My terrific feelings for it.
That’s a very ambitious undertaking. I wish them great success with it.
Waste of money . Cut the Japanese consumption tax now at 8% on every product , service ,medical , rental , etc...next year to go up to 10% !
Note: this topic is from . Thanks BenLurkin.
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...to explore their surfaces and return samples to Earth for analysis... to help scientists determine the origins of Phobos and Deimos, which has been a subject of debate for some time. Whereas some believe that these moons are capture[d] asteroids, others have argued that they were created when fragments ejected from Mars (due to giant impacts on the surface) came together.
This is cool.
It would be cooler if it was sooner.
One of Mars' moons is going to auger in within about 30 million years, so if we plan to colonize, mining that moon right out of existence should be a priority, not least because it probably has materials that would be useful to the colony as well as Earth itself..
New study suggests violent origin for Mars’ moons
By Deborah Byrd in Space | April 19, 2018
https://earthsky.org/space/mars-moons-phobos-deimos-impact-origin-canup
Phobos: Facts About the Doomed Martian Moon
By Nola Taylor Redd, Space.com Contributor | December 7, 2017
https://www.space.com/20346-phobos-moon.html
Phobos Might Only Have 10 Million Years to Live - Universe Today
Original Source: Arxiv
https://www.universetoday.com/14258/phobos-might-only-have-10-million-years-to-live/
Mars will become ringed planet after crushing its moon Phobos
Published time: 23 Nov, 2015
https://www.rt.com/news/323192-phobos-moon-mars-rings/
Mars’ Moon Phobos is Slowly Falling Apart
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/phobos-is-falling-apart
Deimos: Facts About the Smaller Martian Moon
By Nola Taylor Redd, Space.com Contributor | December 7, 2017
https://www.space.com/20345-deimos-moon.html
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