Search Publications
Discrete aurora and the nightside ionosphere of Mars: an EMM–MEX conjunction of FUV imaging, ionospheric radar sounding, and suprathermal electron measurements
Holmström, Mats; Futaana, Yoshifumi; Harada, Yuki +7 more
Since 2021, a new surge in discrete aurora detections at Mars has been observed by the Emirates Mars Ultraviolet Spectrometer (EMUS) onboard the Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) Hope Orbiter as EMUS started to regularly obtain synoptic auroral images with a high sensitivity. Here we report on a fortuitous conjunction between EMM and Mars Express (MEX) …
High-resolution shape models of Phobos and Deimos from stereophotoclinometry
Barnouin, Olivier S.; Daly, R. Terik; Ernst, Carolyn M. +5 more
We created high-resolution shape models of Phobos and Deimos using stereophotoclinometry and united images from Viking Orbiter, Phobos 2, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Express, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter into a single coregistered collection. The best-fit ellipsoid to the Phobos model has radii of (12.95 ± 0.04) km × (11.30 ± 0.04) km × (9.16 ± …
The Mars system revealed by the Martian Moons eXploration mission
Montmessin, Franck; Leblanc, François; Vandaele, Ann Carine +21 more
Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) plans a Phobos sample return mission (MMX: Martian Moons eXploration). In this study, we review the related works on the past climate of Mars, its evolution, and the present climate and weather to describe the scientific goals and strategies of the MMX mission regarding the evolution of the Martian surface…
The MMX rover: performing in situ surface investigations on Phobos
Michel, Patrick; Murdoch, Naomi; Zhang, Yun +22 more
The Japanese MMX sample return mission to Phobos by JAXA will carry a rover developed by CNES and DLR that will be deployed on Phobos to perform in situ analysis of the Martian moon's surface properties. Past images of the surface of Phobos show that it is covered by a layer of regolith. However, the mechanical and compositional properties of this…
MMX geodesy investigations: science requirements and observation strategy
Kouyama, Toru; Baresi, Nicola; Hirata, Naru +10 more
In order to investigate the origin of Phobos and Deimos, the Japanese Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission is scheduled for launch in 2024. MMX will make comprehensive remote-sensing measurements of both moons and return regolith samples from Phobos to Earth. Geodetic measurements of gravity, shape, and rotation parameter of a body provides con…
MEGANE investigations of Phobos and the Small Body Mapping Tool
Chabot, Nancy L.; Ernst, Carolyn M.; Nair, Hari +4 more
The MEGANE instrument onboard the MMX mission will acquire gamma-ray and neutron spectroscopy data of Phobos to determine the elemental composition of the martian moon and provide key constraints on its origin. To produce accurate compositional results, the irregular shape of Phobos and its proximity to Mars must be taken into account during the a…
Small-scale topographic irregularities on Phobos: image and numerical analyses for MMX mission
Michel, Patrick; Miyamoto, Hideaki; Takemura, Tomohiro +2 more
The mothership of the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) will perform the first landing and sampling on the surface of Phobos. For the safe landing, the 2.1-m-wide mothership of the MMX should find a smooth surface with at most 40 cm topographic irregularity, however, whose abundance or even existence is not guaranteed based on current knowledge. We …
Visibility analysis of Phobos to support a science and exploration platform
Sefton-Nash, Elliot; Cardesín-Moinelo, Alejandro; Witasse, Olivier +3 more
The surfaces of the Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos may offer a stable environment for long-term operation of platforms. We present a broad assessment of potential scientific investigations, as well as strategic and operational opportunities offered by long-term operation of an instrumented lander. Studies using observations of Mars' moons, and t…
Comparison of terrestrial and Martian TEC at dawn and dusk during solstices
Witasse, Olivier; Sánchez-Cano, Beatriz; Burrell, Angeline G. +2 more
This paper used the similarities between the ionospheres on Mars and Earth, the most similar of the terrestrial planets, to examine the relative importance of photochemical and transport processes at dawn and dusk. The amount of plasma present in the ionosphere, as measured by the total electron content (TEC), was examined at different locations f…
Toward generalized planetary stereo analysis scheme—Prototype implementation with multi-resolution Martian stereo imagery
Kim, Jung-Rack; Lin, Shih-Yuan; Kim, Young-Hwi +1 more
Stereo analysis of orbital imagery is highly valuable for scientific research in planetary surface. Thus, the processing of planetary stereo imagery has been progressed with various approaches and resulted in a series of uncontrolled topographic products. In order to fully utilize the data derived from image systems carried on various planetary or…