DePhine – The Deimos and Phobos Interior Explorer

Publication date: 15 October 2018Source: Advances in Space Research, Volume 62, Issue 8Author(s): Jürgen Oberst, Kai Wickhusen, Konrad Willner, Klaus Gwinner, Sofya Spiridonova, Ralph Kahle, Andrew Coates, Alain Herique, Dirk Plettemeier, Marina Díaz-Michelena, Alexander Zakharov, Yoshifumi Futaana, Martin Pätzold, Pascal Rosenblatt, David J. Lawrence, Valery Lainey, Alison Gibbings, Ingo GerthAbstractDePhine – Deimos and Phobos Interior Explorer – is a mission proposed in the context of ESA’s Cosmic Vision program, for launch in 2030. The mission will explore the origin and the evolution of the two Martian satellites, by focusing on their interior structures and diversity, by addressing the following open questions: Are Phobos and Deimos true siblings, originating from the same source and sharing the same formation scenario? Are the satellites rubble piles or solid bodies? Do they possess hidden deposits of water ice in their interiors? The DePhine spacecraft will be inserted into Mars transfer and will initially enter a Deimos quasi-satellite orbit to carry out a comprehensive global mapping. The goal is to obtain physical parameters and remote sensing data for Deimos comparable to data expected to be available for Phobos at the time of the DePhine mission for comparative studies. As a highlight of the mission, close flybys will be performed at low velocities, which will increase data integration times, enhance the signal strength and data resolution. 10–20 flyby...
Source: Advances in Space Research - Category: Science Source Type: research