Title
Composition of Surface Materials on the Moons of Mars
Abbreviated Journal Title
Planet Space Sci.
Keywords
Asteroid capture; Space weathering; Regolith; Phobos; Deimos; ITOKAWA DUST PARTICLES; SOLAR-SYSTEM; PHOBOS; DEIMOS; HETEROGENEITY; SPECTROSCOPY; METEORITE; FEATURES; VESTA; Astronomy & Astrophysics
Abstract
The two small asteroid-like bodies orbiting Mars, Phobos and Deimos, are low albedo and exhibit similar visible to near-infrared spectra. Determining the origin of these moons is closely tied to determining their composition. From available spectroscopic data Phobos exhibits two distinct types of materials across its surface, and data from both Mars Express and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have provided additional details about the properties of these materials and their spatial relation to one another. Although no prominent diagnostic absorptions have been detected, systematic weak features are seen in some data. An extensive regolith is observed to have developed on both moons with characteristics that may be unique due to their special environment in Mars orbit. Understanding the character and evolution of the regolith of Phobos and Deimos is central to interpreting the moons' physical and optical properties. The cumulative data available for compositional analyses across the surface of Phobos and Deimos, however, remain incomplete in scope and character and ambiguous in interpretation. Consequently the composition of the moons of Mars remains uncertain. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Journal Title
Planetary and Space Science
Volume
102
Publication Date
1-1-2014
Document Type
Article
Language
English
First Page
144
Last Page
151
WOS Identifier
ISSN
0032-0633
Recommended Citation
"Composition of Surface Materials on the Moons of Mars" (2014). Faculty Bibliography 2010s. 5956.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/facultybib2010/5956
Comments
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