The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission Participating Scientist Program (MMXPSP) will support scientists at U.S. institutions to participate on the MMX mission, which the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is developing for launch in 2024. MMX will orbit Mars, visit the Martian moons Phobos (by way of quasi-satellite orbit and landing) and Deimos (by multiple fly-bys), make close-up remote-sensing and in-situ observations, and return a sample from Phobos. Prospective proposers are referred to the Proposal Information Package (PIP) distributed along with this Program Element Appendix for specific information on the MMX mission, instrumentation, and management, plus additional information described below. Published papers referenced and hyperlinked in this document are contained in the PIP, along with other papers that are not explicitly referenced here but which should be considered of comparable importance.
Broadly, the MMX mission goals are to constrain the origin of the Martian moons, to advance understanding of planetary system formation and of primordial material transport between the inner and the outer early Solar System, and to observe processes affecting the evolution of the Mars system. A central objective is to ascertain whether the moons are captured asteroids or the products of a giant impact. Details of the mission and science objectives are contained in the paper by Kuramoto et al. (2022), included in the PIP.
Two categories of investigations are solicited in this call:
i. Instrument Science. These investigations will analyze and use data from the MMX instruments – preferably from two or more instruments (see Section 3.8) – to address questions regarding the Martian moons and/or the Mars system.
ii. Sample Science. These investigations will conduct analytical studies of the returned Phobos samples to address questions regarding the composition and origin of the Martian moons and the evolution of the Mars system.
Deadlines:
- REQUIRED NOI Due: June 16, 2022
- Proposals Due: Aug 16, 2022