Storyline
Japan MMX Phobos sample return mission
One page that accretes the verified record as the story develops. Every fact keeps its date and its sources.
2 DAYS
21 FACTS
2 EVENTS
2 SOURCES
FIRST ENTRY OCT 19
OCT 20 · Day 2
Japan launches mission to retrieve sample from Martian moon Phobos
The rocket assigned to MMX debuted a new configuration with four strap-on solid rocket boosters.
The MMX spacecraft rode into orbit atop a 207-foot-tall H3 rocket.
Yoshihiro Seki, Japan’s science minister, said the MMX mission is aiming for the world’s first sample return from the Martian moons.
OCT 19 · Day 1
Mars mission launches to retrieve sample of moon
There are only three moons in the inner Solar System: Earth's Moon, and Mars's moons Phobos and Deimos.
The amount of material to be returned is 10g.
The MMX spacecraft will set down a small rover on Phobos to explore the terrain.
“One of the really exciting things is that Phobos is so close to the Mars surface that whenever there's an impact into the Mars surface, little grains might actually become implanted into Phobos itself,”
SARA RUSSELL
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