Japan has successfully launched a historic mission to collect rocks from Mars's moon Phobos. The MMX spacecraft lifted off on an H3 rocket from Tanegashima Space Centre before dawn. Scientists at JAXA declared the launch a success when the spacecraft separated from the rocket.
The spacecraft is expected to reach Mars in August next year. It carries a small French-German rover named Idefix. The rover will explore the surface of Phobos to find safe landing sites. After that, a stationary lander will drill and vacuum up at least 10 grams of material from the moon.
The $578 million mission involves five space agencies. Scientists hope the samples will help them understand how Phobos and Deimos were formed. The mission could also offer clues about the origins of the solar system and life on Earth. The project chief called it a 'once-in-a-lifetime chance.'
Sources: theguardian.com / reuters.com
The words in bold are from the article.
| 1. launched | a. cooperating |
| 2. lifted off | b. transports |
| 3. separated | c. detached |
| 4. expected | d. survey |
| 5. carries | e. beginnings |
| 6. explore | f. anticipated |
| 7. vacuum | g. hints |
| 8. collaborating | h. started |
| 9. clues | i. suck up |
| 10. origins | j. blasted off |
1.h 2.j 3.c 4.f 5.b 6.d 7.i 8.a 9.g 10.e