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Japan's Phobos mission may also collect Mars dust
Original: Japan’s sample return mission to Phobos may also collect some Mars dust
Japan's Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission is planning to return samples from Phobos, the larger of Mars's two moons. Scientists believe material ejected from Mars by impacts has accumulated on Phobos, meaning the spacecraft could also collect Martian dust and sand along with material from the moon itself. If so, it would bring pieces of Mars back to Earth without landing on the planet.
Why now: The mission's sample plans have been in the news, and the prospect of returning Mars material is a significant scientific development.
Evidence
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