JAXA, the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, is making a niche in sample return missions. His mission Hayabusa was the first mission to sample an asteroid when he brought dust from the asteroid Itokawa to Earth in 2010. His successor, Hayabusa 2, then carried a sample of the asteroid Ryugu in 2020.
JAXA is now targeting the Martian moon Phobos and will send a spacecraft to sample it as early as 2024. The mission is called Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) and will use a pneumatic vacuum device to collect its samples.
Why go to Phobos and taste it? Because it is an unusual moon and better understanding it could answer questions about it and our Solar System. And we always want more answers.
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Phobos is the larger of the two moons of Mars, the other being Deimos. The two moons are irregularly shaped and look like potatoes, especially Phobos. Phobos has an average radius of only 11 km (7 miles). It is closer to Mars than Deimos and orbits only 6,000 km (3,700 miles) from the planet’s surface. It moves fast, taking only 7 hours and 39 minutes to complete one orbit and completing three orbits each day.
Much of Phobos’ surface is covered with strange linear grooves. New research reinforces the idea that those iconic furrows were cut by blocks that were released from Stickney Crater (the Great Depression on the right). Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / University of Arizona
Phobos is probably a captured debris asteroid, although astronomers are still debating its nature. It has a lot in common with carbonaceous asteroids and is one of the least reflective objects in the Solar System.
The little moon is getting closer and closer to Mars. Each year it approaches about 2 cm and will eventually be destroyed. In about 30 to 50 million years, it will hit the surface of Mars and be completely destroyed or broken by tidal forces and form a ring of debris around the planet. In fact, one hypothesis says that the moons of Mars were formed from the dust created by a giant impact on Mars. Dust to dust, as they say.
An illustration of Mars with a ring of debris. Image credit: SETI
Japan is leading the MMX mission, but NASA, CNES (France) and DLR (Germany) are also contributing. It has two major objectives: (1) to determine the origin of the Martian moons and (2) to observe processes in the circumplanetary environment of Mars, based on remote sensing, in situ observations, and laboratory analysis of returned samples of phobic regolith. Scientists believe that a better understanding of the Mars-Phobos-Deimos system will shed light on the process of planetary formation in the Solar System.
Getting a sample of Phobos faces several hurdles. The moon is not massive enough for a spacecraft to orbit around it in the usual way. Instead, MMX will enter orbit around Mars and then make near-satellite orbits. These orbits become unstable over time, but should allow a few months of operation near Phobos. This maneuver also allows the MMX landing to reach the surface of Phobos.
JAXA designed the MMX mission with three components: a propulsion module, a scanning module, and a return module. The French space agency CNES suggested that the mission should also deploy a small microwave-sized rover, built by France and Germany, to the surface.
But the highlight of the MMX mission will be the return of the show. We have made great strides in sending instruments to spacecraft, terrifiers, and rovers to examine the bodies of the Solar System. When it comes to Mars, the in situ study of the planet has given rise to a wealth of new evidence and knowledge. But the holy grail on space missions is still the return of the show. No matter how advanced the instruments we send to the missions, laboratory analyzes on Earth will always surpass them.
MMX will collect samples in two ways. One is the Coring Sampler (C-SMP) developed by JAXA. The other is the Pneumatic Sampler (P-SMP), provided by NASA and developed by Honeybee Robotics.
The pair of samples will complement and partially explain the fact that we do not know what the surface is like. The coring Sampler will be placed on the robotic arm of the scare. It will use a special shape memory alloy to collect a 10 gram sample over 2 cm deep under the regolith.
P-SMP can capture regulated even if the surface is covered with gravel-sized material. (Image credit: Honeybee Robotics)
The pneumatic sampling will be placed near the foot of one of the legs of the scare. It will use pressurized nitrogen gas to collect samples and mission operators can manipulate the gas flow as required. It can be continuous or pulsed.
This is a schematic view of the P-SMP with 1. Sampling head, 2. Sample return tubes and N2 gas and 3. Control box with a sample container. (Image credit: Honeybee Robotics)
The P-SMP has three sets of nozzles to perform the procedure. Two excavation nozzles point downwards, two retro thrust nozzles point upwards and two transport nozzles point towards the sampling tube. The three pairs of nozzles ignite simultaneously.
The digging nozzles shoot at the surface of Phobos and shuffle material from the regolith. The transport nozzles direct the material to the sampling head. Retro thrust nozzles are fired to counteract the spacecraft’s thrust, so that its position is stable during sampling.
Honeybee Robotics has extensively tested its P-SMP and is confident that it can handle any surprises on the surface of Phobos. The company says its system can still collect a sample even if the gravel covers the surface.
MMX will not be the only mission to use the Honeybee vacuum system. NASA plans to use it on the moon to capture the lunar regiment at Mare Crisium in 2023. The system is also being considered for a Europa Lander mission and several other missions still in the concept and design phase.
It’s easy to see why.
“The goal of this technology is to enable the easy and economical capture of planetary materials from largely unknown surfaces,” said Honeybee project leader Kris Zacny. “Vacuum cleaners are designed to capture ‘dirt’, so a vacuum cleaner-like approach is ideal for working with ‘planetary’ dirt.”
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