The Importance of Phobos Sample Return for Understanding the Mars-Moon System

Yabuta, Hikaru; Bajo, K.; Fujiya, Wataru; Furukawa, Yoshihiro; Koike, Masao; Miura, Yayoi N.; Sugahara, Haruna; Tachibana, Shogo; Takano, Yoshinori; Kuramoto, Kiyoshi

doi:10.1007/s11214-020-00668-9

Cited by 53 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 77 publications

(102 reference statements)

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“…C-complex asteroids tend to have low albedos, absorption features (when present) due to hydrated silicates, and have been typically linked with carbonaceous chondrites. A Japanese sample-return mission (MMX: Martian Moons eXploration) to Phobos is currently being planned (Usui et al 2020). Except for the Apollo missions, where the sampling was undertaken by humans, all sample-return missions so far have been done robotically.…”

Section: Why Is Sample Return Important?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Bimodal Solar System via Sample Return from the Main Asteroid Belt: The Case for Revisiting Ceres

Burbine

Greenwood

2020

Space Sci Rev

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Sample return from a main-belt asteroid has not yet been attempted, but appears technologically feasible. While the cost implications are significant, the scientific case for such a mission appears overwhelming. As suggested by the “Grand Tack” model, the structure of the main belt was likely forged during the earliest stages of Solar System evolution in response to migration of the giant planets. Returning samples from the main belt has the potential to test such planet migration models and the related geochemical and isotopic concept of a bimodal Solar System. Isotopic studies demonstrate distinct compositional differences between samples believed to be derived from the outer Solar System (CC or carbonaceous chondrite group) and those that are thought to be derived from the inner Solar System (NC or non-carbonaceous group). These two groups are separated on relevant isotopic variation diagrams by a clear compositional gap. The interface between these two regions appears to be broadly coincident with the present location of the asteroid belt, which contains material derived from both groups. The Hayabusa mission to near-Earth asteroid (NEA) (25143) Itokawa has shown what can be learned from a sample-return mission to an asteroid, even with a very small amount of sample. One scenario for main-belt sample return involves a spacecraft launching a projectile that strikes an object and flying through the debris cloud, which would potentially allow multiple bodies to be sampled if a number of projectiles are used on different asteroids. Another scenario is the more traditional method of landing on an asteroid to obtain the sample. A significant range of main-belt asteroids are available as targets for a sample-return mission and such a mission would represent a first step in mineralogically and isotopically mapping the asteroid belt. We argue that a sample-return mission to the asteroid belt does not necessarily have to return material from both the NC and CC groups to viably test the bimodal Solar System paradigm, as material from the NC group is already abundantly available for study. Instead, there is overwhelming evidence that we have a very incomplete suite of CC-related samples. Based on our analysis, we advocate a dedicated sample-return mission to the dwarf planet (1) Ceres as the best means of further exploring inherent Solar System variation. Ceres is an ice-rich world that may be a displaced trans-Neptunian object. We almost certainly do not have any meteorites that closely resemble material that would be brought back from Ceres. The rich heritage of data acquired by the Dawn mission makes a sample-return mission from Ceres logistically feasible at a realistic cost. No other potential main-belt target is capable of providing as much insight into the early Solar System as Ceres. Such a mission should be given the highest priority by the international scientific community.

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Section: Why Is Sample Return Important?mentioning

confidence: 99%

Exploring the Bimodal Solar System via Sample Return from the Main Asteroid Belt: The Case for Revisiting Ceres

Burbine

Greenwood

2020

Space Sci Rev

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“…The first mission that targeted to return up to 200 g of soil from the Martian moon Phobos by 2014 was Russia's Phobos-Grunt mission (Marov et al 2004), however the mission terminated in 2012 upon a malfunction that stranded the spacecraft in Earth orbit. A JAXA-led sample return from the Martian moons -the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission, is in the planning stages, which targets to return samples to Earth from Phobos, with a possible return in 2029 (Krüger et al 2019;Kuramoto et al 2018;Usui et al 2020). Analysis of organic matter is also a major motivation behind sample return mission concepts for Mars, Enceladus, and Titan, among others (e.g., Barucci et al 2012;Mattingly and May 2011;Tsou et al 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Concerns of Organic Contamination for Sample Return Space Missions

et al. 2020

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Analysis of organic matter has been one of the major motivations behind solar system exploration missions. It addresses questions related to the organic inventory of our solar system and its implication for the origin of life on Earth. Sample return missions aim at returning scientifically valuable samples from target celestial bodies to Earth. By analysing the samples with the use of state-of-the-art analytical techniques in laboratories here on Earth, researchers can address extremely complicated aspects of extra-terrestrial organic matter. This level of detailed sample characterisation provides the range and depth in organic analysis that are restricted in spacecraft-based exploration missions, due to the limitations of the on-board in-situ instrumentation capabilities. So far, there are four completed and in-process sample return missions with an explicit mandate to collect organic matter: Stardust and OSIRIS-REx missions of NASA, and Hayabusa and Hayabusa2 missions of JAXA. Regardless of the target body, all sample return missions dedicate to minimise terrestrial organic contamination of the returned samples, by applying various degrees or strategies of organic contamination mitigation methods. Despite the dedicated efforts in the design and execution of contamination control, it is impossible to completely eliminate sources of organic contamination. This paper aims at providing an overview of the successes and lessons learned with regards to the identification of indigenous organic matter of the returned samples vs terrestrial contamination.

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“…The endogenous bulk material properties of the moons depend on their origins 7 ; sampling these materials would provide definitive information 11 . In the capture scenario, the returned sample would be analogous to a type of chondrite 11 . In the giant impact scenario, the bulk materials would be a mixture of Martian and impactor materials that experienced a high temperature phase 7,12,13 .…”

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Transport of impact ejecta from Mars to its moons as a means to reveal Martian history

Hyodo¹,

Kurosawa²,

Genda³

et al. 2019

Sci Rep

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Throughout the history of the solar system, Mars has experienced continuous asteroidal impacts. These impacts have produced impact-generated Mars ejecta, and a fraction of this debris is delivered to Earth as Martian meteorites. Another fraction of the ejecta is delivered to the moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos. Here, we studied the amount and condition of recent delivery of impact ejecta from Mars to its moons. Using state-of-the-art numerical approaches, we report, for the first time, that materials delivered from Mars to its moons are physically and chemically different from the Martian meteorites, which are all igneous rocks with a limited range of ages. We show that Mars ejecta mixed in the regolith of its moons potentially covers all its geological eras and consists of all types of rocks, from sedimentary to igneous. A Martian moons sample-return mission will bring such materials back to Earth, and the samples will provide a wealth of “time-resolved” geochemical information about the evolution of Martian surface environments.

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The Importance of Phobos Sample Return for Understanding the Mars-Moon System

Cited by 53 publications

References 77 publications

Exploring the Bimodal Solar System via Sample Return from the Main Asteroid Belt: The Case for Revisiting Ceres

Exploring the Bimodal Solar System via Sample Return from the Main Asteroid Belt: The Case for Revisiting Ceres

Concerns of Organic Contamination for Sample Return Space Missions

Transport of impact ejecta from Mars to its moons as a means to reveal Martian history

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