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Soil Preparation System (SOPSYS)

Soil sampling tool for exploring life on the Martian moon

Soil sampling tool for exploring life on the Martian moon

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Soil Preparation System (SOPSYS)

Soil Preparation System (SOPSYS) is a mission-critical space tool developed by PolyU for the Phobos-Grunt Mission, the first strategic interplanetary exploration of the Sino-Russian collaboration which led to historical attempts to land on the Martian moon Phobos, collect soil samples there and conduct in-situ analysis. This tool will also be used for the coming mission to explore Phobos.

SOPSYS is compact and lightweight for grinding and sifting Phobos rocks to sub-millimeter size for in-situ analysis, which is a crucial step in understanding the evolution of the universe. Some of the technologies developed for SOPSYS have been applied in the Camera Pointing System for the successful Chang’e-3 lunar mission of China.

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