This was the first viewing of the new dome / planetarium movie for JAXA’s Martian Moons eXploration (#MMX) movie at GALAXCITY (ギャラクシティ) in Tokyo! MMX is due to launch in 2026, and will return a sample from Mars’s moon, Phobos. The movie is about 45 minutes long, and runs through the forerunners to the mission (both JAXA missions such as Hayabusa2, and previous attempts to visit Phobos), describes the mission, and looks at the science that will be explored.
JAXA team members who attending the viewing signed a large movie poster. It was like being a band member 😂 Can you spot my name? (I was a little anxious about taking up space 😅)
@elizabethtasker Wow. First I am hearing of this. I have a question. It may be an obvious question and it may be a no-nothing question, but while JAXA is at it why can't get those Mars samples NASA have given up on being able to get and is seeking outside help for? It seems JAXA is prepared for the mission.
@richard MMX isn't going to Mars: it's going to Phobos, the moon of Mars. Landing on a planet (with a much higher gravity than a moon) and launching again is a much more involved operation.
@elizabethtasker Yes, I realize JAXA is going to Mar's moon, but since it has the ability to do that, it seems to the casual observer you guys to be putting Mars on the drawing board. Sorry if I am imposing.
@richard Nothing (technological-wise) like the Mars Sample Return has ever been done before. That's why it was planned as a colossal project involving both NASA and ESA: two of the largest space agencies in the world. I can't emphasise enough how big that project is.
@richard That said, MMX will actually return samples from Mars, as it's expected that Mars surface material has been scattered onto Phobos over the planet's lifetime. But it's a different sample compared to what the Perseverance rover has collected, which is from a known geographical location on the surface of Mars.
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