Mars: Satellite origin and angular momentum |
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Authors: | William K Hartmann Donald R Davis Clark R Chapman Steven Soter Richard Greenberg |
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Institution: | Planetary Science Institute, 252 West Ina Road, Tucson, Arizona 85704, USA;Laboratory for Planetary Studies, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA;Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona 85721, USA |
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Abstract: | The origin of Phobos and Deimos is considered with a view to accounting for the existence of very small satellites with circular orbits in the Martian equatorial plane, and simultaneously for the suspected angular momentum deficiency of the Mars system. All models considered failed to satisfy at least one requirement, and the problem is considered more puzzling than is at first apparent. The Martian angular momentum deficiency, if physically significant, may be unrelated to the present satellites' origin, but might relate to a large ancient satellite, long ago destroyed. Accretion onto Mars of large amounts of asteroidal dust brought in by Poynting-Robertson drag may have some bearing on the angular momentum problem. |
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