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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…