Mars has been the destination for so many of our spacecraft, and for good reason, it’s probably the most Earthlike place in the Solar System, with water ice on its surface and reservoirs of the liquid beneath the surface. If we’re going to find life, Mars might be the place.
But the tiny moons orbiting Mars, Phobos and Deimos, are scientifically fascinating on their own, and so far, a mission has never reached them.
Last week, Japan announced that they’ve greenlit their Martian Moon eXploration mission, or MMX, which will launch an orbiter, lander and maybe even a rover to Phobos in 2024, returning samples back to Earth by the end of the decade.
Our Book is out!
https://www.amazon.com/Universe-Today-Ultimate-Viewing-Cosmos/dp/1624145442/
Audio Podcast version:
ITunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/universe-today-guide-to-space-audio/id794058155?mt=2
RSS: https://www.universetoday.com/audio
Weekly email newsletter:
https://www.universetoday.com/newsletter
Weekly Space Hangout:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0-KklSGlCiJDwOPdR2EUcg/
Astronomy Cast:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUHI67dh9jEO2rvK--MdCSg
Support us at https://www.patreon.com/universetoday
More stories at https://www.universetoday.com/
Twitch: https://twitch.tv/fcain
Twitter: https://twitter.com/universetoday
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/universetoday
Instagram - https://instagram.com/universetoday
Team: Fraser Cain - @fcain / frasercain@gmail.com
Karla Thompson - @karlaii / https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEItkORQYd4Wf0TpgYI_1fw
Chad Weber - weber.chad@gmail.com
References:
http://mmx.isas.jaxa.jp/en/
http://www.hayabusa2.jaxa.jp/en/
https://www.universetoday.com/145054/japan-is-sending-a-lander-to-phobos/
https://sci.esa.int/web/rosetta
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/hayabusa/in-depth/
http://mmx-news.isas.jaxa.jp/?p=1016&lang=en
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/mars-moons/phobos/in-depth/
https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/missions/phobos-grunt/in-depth/
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA21837
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?feature=6965
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/spaceimages/details.php?id=PIA04746
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.php?fea