Regolith properties and volatiles abundances of the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos in support of the MMX mission (JAXA)

The Martian Moon eXploration mission led by the Japanese Space Agency JAXA will explore the Martian system and in particular the two moons Phobos and Deimos. The main objective of the mission is to investigate the origin of the two moons and to discern between two major hypothesis: the capture of primitive asteroid or a giant impact similar to the formation of Earth's Moon. The MMX mission will observe the moons with several instruments (including an infrared spectrometer, an X-ray/Gamma spectrometer, a Raman spectrometer and several cameras) and will collect a sample to bring it back on Earth in 2031. The strong synergy between laboratory experiments and remote sensing data analysis is a pivotal tool to interpret the data collected by MMX and to shed a light on the unknown origin of the two moons.

We summarize below the various activities that the student may carry out at the Astrobiology Laboratory of the Arcetri Astrophysical Observatory as part of a Master’s thesis (6–9 months):
- Preparation and characterization of Phobos and Deimos analogue samples using laboratory instruments;
- Analysis of remote sensing data from previous mission like Mars Express (ESA), Mars Global Surveyor (NASA) and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (NASA)
- Work on data analysis and thermal modelling in support of MIRS spectrometer on board the MMX mission
- Study on survival of organic compounds in Phobos environment to support the selection of the sample collection
- Creation of a sample database for the MMX for cross-study between the different instruments of the mission