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Japan to launch a mission to bring back soil from a Mars moon

Japan's JAXA plans to launch the MMX mission in October to collect soil from Mars's moon Phobos and return samples to Earth by 2031.

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Japan is about to send a spacecraft to Phobos, one of the two small moons of Mars. The launch is planned for Tuesday, October 20, in Japan, from the Tanegashima Space Center. The Japanese space agency, JAXA, will use an H3 rocket. If the mission works, it will be the first time anyone brings back soil from a Martian moon. The project is called Martian Moons eXploration, or MMX.

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The space agency, JAXA, will use an H3 rocket.

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The trip will take about five years. The spacecraft should reach Mars in August 2027 and then spend three years around Phobos. First, a small rover built by France and Germany will land on the moon and study the ground. Then the main craft will take at least 10 grams of soil, using a tool from Japan and a tool from NASA that blows gas to lift dust. The samples are due back on Earth in 2031. Scientists want to know how the moons formed. Some think they are pieces thrown out when a huge object hit Mars. Others think they are asteroids that Mars caught long ago.

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Scientists want to know how the moons form.

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The answer could matter for future travel to Mars. The mission will measure radiation, and a Martian moon might one day work as a base for astronauts. The project manager called these moons the most important unclimbed mountains in the solar system. The task is hard, though. Several Russian attempts to land on Phobos have failed, and the new craft must travel far longer than the straight distance to Mars. NASA will keep about 15% of the returned soil for study in the United States.

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One word is in the wrong form: “call”. Type the correct form of that word.

The project manager call these moons the most important unclimbed mountains in the solar system.

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Topics Science

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Speaking

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Two minutes, free. Open an assistant with the prompt ready, turn on its voice and answer a few questions about the text. Nothing is recorded here.

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  1. Step 1Choose your app: ChatGPT or Claude.
  2. Step 2Press its voice button.
  3. Step 3Answer 4–5 questions out loud.
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Questions, sentence starters and words

Questions

  1. OpinionDo you think countries should spend money on space missions like this one? Why or why not?
  2. ExperienceHave you ever looked at the Moon or the stars and wondered about space? What did you think about?
  3. ExperienceTell me about a long project you worked on. Was it hard to be patient?
  4. What ifWhat if people built a base on a moon of Mars? Would you want to live there?
  5. OpinionIs it better when countries work together on big projects, or when each country works alone?
  6. What ifIf you could join a five-year space mission, what job would you want to do?

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  • I think that...
  • In my country...
  • One reason is that...
  • If I could, I would...

Words from the text

  • spacecraft B1
  • sample B1
  • mission B1
  • moon A2
  • rover B2
  • asteroid B2
  • radiation B2
  • launch B1
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# Speaking practice: Space missions and why we explore other worlds

You are my friendly English conversation partner. We talk by voice, so keep every reply short: one to three sentences. Speak English only.

First ask me, in one short question, what my English level is, then use words and sentences at that level.

Topic: Space missions and why we explore other worlds. It comes from a short text called “Japan to launch a mission to bring back soil from a Mars moon”.

Ask these questions one at a time. Wait for my answer, react to it in a few words, then ask the next one.

1. Do you think countries should spend money on space missions like this one? Why or why not?
2. Have you ever looked at the Moon or the stars and wondered about space? What did you think about?
3. Tell me about a long project you worked on. Was it hard to be patient?
4. What if people built a base on a moon of Mars? Would you want to live there?
5. Is it better when countries work together on big projects, or when each country works alone?
6. If you could join a five-year space mission, what job would you want to do?

If I get stuck, give me one of these sentence starters or make the question easier:

- I think that...
- In my country...
- One reason is that...
- If I could, I would...

Encourage me to use these words from the text:

- spacecraft (B1)
- sample (B1)
- mission (B1)
- moon (A2)
- rover (B2)
- asteroid (B2)
- radiation (B2)
- launch (B1)

Rules:

- Do not correct me while I speak. Let me finish my thought.
- Quietly keep a list of my mistakes and of the new words I used or needed.
- When I say we are done, or after the last question, give me a summary: my mistakes with the corrected sentences, the new words with a short meaning each, and one thing to practise next.

Start now with the first question.

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