Why Explore Martian Moons?<\/strong><\/p>\nHidenori Genda, Professor, ELSI<\/p>\n
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Abstract:
\nMars has two small moons, Phobos and Deimos. Their nature and origins are not yet well understood. Under JAXA\u2019s leadership, the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission\u2014much like Hayabusa2\u2014plans to return samples from Phobos to Earth. In this presentation, I will consider why JAXA explores Martian moons, and from samples what kind of big picture about the Solar System we might be able to draw.
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\nBio:
\nHidenori Genda is a Professor at the Earth-Life Science Institute (ELSI), Science Tokyo. After receiving his Ph.D. in Science from the University of Tokyo in 2004 and holding positions at Tokyo Institute of Technology and the University of Tokyo, he joined ELSI in 2013 as a founding member. His research uses computer simulations and space mission data to investigate how the characteristics of Solar System bodies, including Earth, were shaped.<\/p>\n
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Lecture 2:<\/strong>
\nWhat Can Martian Moons Reveal?<\/strong><\/p>\nEmma Caminiti (Aerospace Project Research Associate, ISAS, JAXA)<\/p>\n
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\nAbstract:
\nThe moons of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, preserve key evidence of the evolution of the Martian system. The JAXA MMX mission will investigate their surface properties and return samples from Phobos. This talk will focus on recent advances in the characterisation of Phobos\u2019 surface, spectral properties, and geology, and discuss how these studies, combined with MMX observations and samples, will shed light on the moons\u2019 geological history and origin.<\/span><\/p>\n\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBio:
\nEmma Caminiti is a Research Associate at the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), working on the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission since 2025. She earned a bachelor\u2019s degree in Earth and Environmental Sciences from the University of Grenoble Alpes, followed by a master\u2019s in Planetary Sciences and Space Exploration at Paris Observatory in 2021. She completed her Ph.D. in Astronomy and Astrophysics at PSL University in 2024.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nModerator<\/strong>
\nKosuke Fujishima (Associate Professor, ELSI)<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.elsi.jp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/KFujishima-e1764208733893.png\")
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ELSI Annual Public Lecture 2026 Flyer<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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\n(Credit for Kosuke Fujishima\u2019s photo\uff1a Nerissa Escanlar \/ ELSI)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":10037,"template":"","news_events_cat":[6],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elsi.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news_events\/10030"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elsi.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news_events"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elsi.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/news_events"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elsi.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10037"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elsi.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10030"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"news_events_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elsi.jp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news_events_cat?post=10030"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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