Composition of Surface Materials on the Moons of Mars

    Authors

    C. M. Pieters; S. Murchie; N. Thomas;D. Britt

    Comments

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    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

    WOS:000343838800013

    ISSN

    0032-0633

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