A New Surface Atlas of Phobos Will Help JAXA's MMX Mission Collect its Samples

Thanks to JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, and their sample-return prowess, we're on the cusp of our first sample from the Martian system. Not from Mars itself, but from its largest moon Phobos. JAXA's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission is set to launch in October. It will reach Phobos in 2027, and, if successful, return a sample from the moon to Earth in 2031.

A lot of advance work goes into a sample return mission. Scientists need a solid understanding of the object they're sampling to provide context for their samples. To many of us, one rock looks much like the next. But to a scientist, even a few grams of regolith is loaded with information. And decoding that information to its fullest extent can depend on context.