Announcement of Opportunity for membership of the Science Board of the Martian Moons eXploration Mission (MMX)
11 June 2019
Through this Announcement of Opportunity (AO) the European Space Agency (ESA) solicits proposals for membership of the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) Mission Science Board, a high-level team of scientists responsible for the overall science management of the MMX mission.The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission is a JAXA mission that will fly to Phobos and Deimos, and will sample > 10 g of material from the surface of Phobos for return to Earth.
The key scientific goals of MMX are:
- To reveal the origin of Mars' moons, and to improve our understanding of planetary system formation and of primordial material transport around the border between the inner and outer regions in the early Solar System.
- To observe processes that have impact on the evolution of the Mars system and to advance our understanding of Mars' surface environmental transition.
The mission will build on the technical and operational experience that JAXA has developed in the field of sample return from small bodies with the Hayabusa missions. The MMX mission is planned to be launched in 2024.
As a result of this AO, ESA will select up to two members of the MMX Science Board. The AO is open to scientists affiliated with institutes in the ESA Member States. The appointments will be ad personam.
Full details of this AO and the proposal submission form can be found at:
https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/mmx-ao-sb-2019
The deadline for receipt of proposals is: 20 August 2019, 12:00 (noon) CEST