Space missions are supposed to return samples to Earth from Mars and Phobos

“These missions could, at some point, provide an opportunity to decipher the various evolutionary processes of life on Mars and Earth,” wrote Ryuki Hyodo and Tomohiro Usui of JAXA in an article published Thursday in the journal Science. The goal is to search for possible traces of past life on Mars. In 2029, the Japanese Space Agency’s mission is expected to return a sample to Earth from the surface of the Martian moon Phobos.

Phobos and Deimos are the two moons of the planet, the first closest to Mars. There may be rocky material on it which was thrown away by the impact of an asteroid on Mars. According to previous findings, there is no water on Phobos, but the researchers hope that a sample will provide interesting insights due to the mix of different rocks.

The other mission has already begun. NASA’s “Perseverance” rover, which landed on Mars in February, is set to take a sample of the planet that will one day be returned to Earth in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) — when and how exactly is still being planned. However, the rover’s first attempt at prospecting failed recently, More scheme.

what / dpa