JAXA is trying to carve out a niche in sample-return missions. The Hayabusa mission was the first one to sample an asteroid. Hayabusa 2 brought a sample from an asteroid.
JAXA will send a craft to sample Phobos, the moon of the planet Mars, as early as 2024. The pneumatic vacuum device will be used to collect samples from the moon.
Do you want to sample it? Understanding the moon and its relation to the Solar System would answer questions about it. We always have more questions.
The bigger of Mars' two moons is Phobos. The moons are shaped like potatoes. There is a mean distance of 11 km. It is only 6,000 km away from the planet's surface. It takes 7 hours and 39 minutes to complete one orbit and 3 hours and 19 minutes to complete three.
Astronomers still don't know the nature of Phobos. It is one of the least reflective objects in the solar system.
The moon is close to the red planet. It will be destroyed every year because it gets close. If it smashes into the surface of Mars, it will either be destroyed or torn apart, forming a debris ring around the planet. One hypothesis says that the moons of Mars were formed from dust. They say it's dust to dust.
The MMX mission is led by Japan, but NASA, the CNES, and the DLR are also involved. The goal is to determine the origin of the Martian moons and to observe processes in the circumplanetary environment of Mars. A better understanding of the Mars-Phobos-Deimos system will shed light on planetary formation in the Solar System, according to scientists.
It is difficult to get a sample from Phobos. The moon isn't big enough for a spaceship to enter around it. MMX will enter the space around Mars. It should be possible for several months of operation near Phobos. The MMX landers will be able to reach Phobos.
The MMX mission was designed with three components. France and Germany built a small rover about the size of a microwave to the surface, according to the French CNES space agency.
The sample return will be one of the highlights of the mission. Instruments have been sent to examine Solar System bodies. The in-situ study of Mars has yielded a lot of new information. Sample return is the holy grail in space missions. Lab analysis back on Earth will always be superior to advanced instruments sent on missions.
MMX will collect samples in a number of different ways. The C-SMP is one of the ones developed by JAXA. The P-SMP was developed by Honeybee Robotics.
We don't know what the surface is like, so the pair of samplers complement each other. The landers robotic arm will hold the Coring sampler. A shape memory alloy will be used to gather a 10- gram sample from under the regolith.
There is a Pneumatic Sampler on one of the landers legs. It will use pressurized nitrogen gas to gather the samples, and mission operators will be able to adjust the gas flow according to requirements. It can be continuous or pulse.
Three nozzles are needed to perform the procedure. Two excavation nozzles point downward and two retro thrust nozzles point upward. Three nozzles fire at the same time.
Material from the regolith is stirred up by the excavation nozzles. The nozzles go into the head. The retro thrust nozzles counteract the thrust on the spaceship so it's stable during sampling.
The P-SMP has been tested extensively and is confident that it can handle any surprises. Even if gravel covers the surface, the system can still collect a sample.
Honeybee's vacuum system will be used by many missions. It will be used by NASA to take lunar regolith on the moon. Several other missions are still in the concept and design phase, and the system is being considered for one of them.
It can be seen why.
The goal of the technology is to allow simple and inexpensive capture of planetary materials. A vacuum cleaner like approach is ideal for working with planetary dirt.
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