Aladdin: sample return from the moons of Mars

The Aladdin spacecraft was proposed as a Discovery Mission in response to a NASA announcement of opportunity. This spacecraft will visit the enigmatic Martian moons, Phobos and Deimos, to obtain samples and return them to Earth. The returned samples, coupled with characterization of their geological contexts, will answer fundamental questions on the origin of these moons: Are they related to primitive outer solar system bodies, or do they share a common origin with Mars? If they are primitive outer solar system bodies, are they vestiges of primitive objects that delivered volatiles and organics to the inner solar system? If they share a common origin with Mars, what do they tell us about the formation of planetary satellites in general? Aladdin uses an innovative technique to sample Phobos and Deimos. The spacecraft will launch projectiles targeted at specific geological units on the satellites´ surfaces and collect ejecta excavated by the impact on “flying carpet” at low velocity (~1 km/s). Repeated encounters with both moons provide redundant opportunities for sampling. We present an overview of the mission and the details of the model used to calculate the sample yield from Aladdin´s “launch and capture” technique