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The Martian Satellites

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 April 2016

S. Fred Singer
S. Fred Singer*
Affiliation:
Department of the Interior

Extract

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The Martian satellites are some of the most interesting and accessible objects in the solar system, and therefore worth studying or even visiting. As small bodies, on the order of kilometers in diameter (see table I), they may have experienced no internal heating or volcanism, and could therefore be original condensations in the solar system. They may thus be the only remnants of the original planetesimals.

An additional point of interest is that they are the only satellites in the inner part of the solar system–Earth's Moon is generally assumed to be a sister planet. As such, their study could illuminate one of the important differences between the inner and outer parts of the solar system.

Type
Part II-Origin of Asteroids Interrelations with Comets, Meteorites, and Meteors
Information
International Astronomical Union Colloquium , Volume 12: Physical Studies of Minor Planets , 1971 , pp. 399 - 405
Copyright
Copyright © NASA 1971

References

References

Kuiper, G.P. 1956, On the Origin of the Satellites and the Trojans. Vistas in Astronomy (ed., Arthur, Beer), vol. 2, pp. 1631–1666. Pergamon Press. New York.Google Scholar
Öpik, E.J. 1962, Atmosphere and Surface Properties of Mars and Venus. Progress in Astronautical Sciences (ed., Singer, S.F.), vol. 1, pp. 261–342. North-Holland Pub. Co. Amsterdam.Google Scholar
Singer, S.F. 1968, The Origin of the Moon and Geophysical Consequences. Geophys. J. Roy. Astron. Soc. 15, 205–226.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Singer, S.F. 1970, How Did Venus Lose Its Angular Momentum? Science 170, 1196–1198.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Urey, H.C. 1952, The Planets: Their Origin and Development. Yale Univ. Press. New Haven, Conn.Google Scholar

Discussion References

Alfvén, H., and Arrhenius, G. 1970, Structure and Evolution of the Solar System. Astrophys. Space Sci. 8, 338.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kaula, W.M. 1966, Theory of Satellite Geodesy. Blaisdell Pub. Co. Waltham, Mass.Google Scholar
Kuiper, G. P. 1956, On the Origin of the Satellites and the Trojans. Vistas in Astronomy (ed., Arthur, Beer), vol. 2, pp. 1631–1666. Pergamon Press. New York.CrossRefGoogle Scholar