biology

Phootprint

Phootprint is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Phootprint rather than just read about it. In short: Phootprint was a feasibility study conducted in 2014 by the European Space Agency (ESA) for a sample-return mission to the Mars moon Phobos. The study proposed a launch date of 2024 for this mission.

Key takeaways

Phootprint belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Phootprint to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Phootprint from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Phootprint was a feasibility study conducted in 2014 by the European Space Agency (ESA) for a sample-return mission to the Mars moon Phobos. The study proposed a launch date of 2024 for this mission. The ESA ultimately did not launch Phootprint as its own mission but is working with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) on the Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) probe, a similar mission to Phobos set to launch in 2026.

Overview and status The Phootprint mission was conceived as a candidate for the Mars Robotic Exploration Preparation Programme 2 (MREP-2) at ESA. In 2014, ESA funded Footprint's pre-phase A feasibility study and an 8-month industrial system study. The mission was proposed to be launched on an Ariane 5 in 2024 with early 2026 as backup date. The spacecraft would have orbited Mars for the characterisation phase, before maneuvering into a quasi-satellite orbit to facilitate the landing on Phobos. Because of the low gravity, the lander would have anchored itself to the surface during sample collection and when launching the Earth Re-entry Capsule (ERC). The mission would have lasted about 3.5 years, including the cruise time to Phobos, orbit mapping, 7 days on the surface, and finally, the sample return cruise time. The spacecraft would be powered by solar arrays. In August 2015, the ESA-Roscosmos working group, after cooperation on ExoMars, completed a joint study for a possible future Phobos Sample Return mission, and preliminary discussions were held. Ultimately, Phootprint was not pursued as an ESA-headed mission under that name. However, interest in a sample-return mission to Phobos remained to further the objectives of the ESA's Cosmic Vision campaign, and the ESA became a contributor to the Japanese MMX mission.

Objectives

The top-level science goal was to understand the formation of the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos and put constraints on the evolution of the Solar System (co-formation, capture, impact ejecta). The mission objectives were:

Return 100 grams (g) of loose material from the surface of Phobos. Access at least 50% of the Phobos surface for the sampling operations. Landing site selected by Science Team during mission post extensive global and local mapping campaign Strict requirements on surface contamination Goal of 800 g load on sample (return approximately 100 g (0.22 lb)) Static landing with 100 m (330 ft) landing accuracy "No rebound" after landing was a critical condition given the low-gravity environment of Phobos. To address this, the feasibility study recommended four cantilever-type landing legs with crushable aluminum honeycomb shock absorbers and secondary load limiters.

Spacecraft The concept of the Phootprint spacecraft was composed of three modules:

The Landing Module (LM) carrying the ERV & ERC, performing the transfer to Mars, the Mars orbit insertion and phasing maneuvers to reach Phobos vicinity, the operations around and on Phobos, including landing and sampling. The landing module would be equipped with a 2 m (6 ft 7 in) sampling robotic arm. The Earth Return Vehicle (ERV) performing the Mars escape, the transfer back to Earth and the ERC release a few hours before re-entry. The Earth Re-entry Capsule (ERC) — a fully passive module: ballistic re-entry with no parachute, hard landing on the ground with maximum impact deceleration of 1700 g to the sample. Modeling of the thermal design indicates the sample container temperature during reentry would be less than 40 °C (104 °F). A location beacon would be included within sample container.

Proposed payload The conceptual 30 kg (66.1 lb) payload was:

Wide angle camera Narrow angle camera Close-up camera Context camera for sampling context Visible-IR spectrometer Infrared spectrometer A radio science module

Mission architecture The proposed mission architecture was:

Ariane 5 launch from Kourou in direct escape Transfer to Mars (11 months) Nine months orbiting Phobos/Mars dedicated to science observations and sampling (7 days on the surface) Departure from Mars to Earth (8 months)

See also Fobos Grunt – 2011 Russian attempted sample-return mission to the Martian moon PhobosPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets List of missions to Mars Phobos And Deimos & Mars Environment – NASA Mars orbiter mission concept Phobos program – 1988 Soviet missions to Mars Phobos Surveyor – Proposed Phobos orbiter

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Phootprint

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Phootprint claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Phootprint before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Phootprint ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Phootprint

In research: Phootprint appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Phootprint in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Phootprint is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cancelled European Space Agency space probes, Cancelled missions to Mars, Cancelled sample return missions, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Phootprint outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Phootprint in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Phootprint means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Phootprint out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Phootprint in simple terms?

Phootprint was a feasibility study conducted in 2014 by the European Space Agency (ESA) for a sample-return mission to the Mars moon Phobos. The study proposed a launch date of 2024 for this mission.

Why does Phootprint matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Phootprint?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Phootprint.