2009/11/04 by Bijay Kumar Sharma, Sharma, Bijay Kumar
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #FOS: Physical sciences #General Physics (physics.gen-ph) #Planetary Science and Exploration #Space Physics (physics.space-ph) #Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life #physics.gen-ph #physics.space-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.0911.0726
This Paper is under review with Earth,Moon and Planets as Moon491
arxiv created 2009/11/04 · openalex publication_date 2009/11/04 · openalex created_date 2024/04/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Phobos, a moon of Mars, is below the Clarke synchronous orbit and due to tidal interaction is losing altitude. With this altitude loss it is doomed to the fate of total destruction by direct collision with Mars. On the other hand Deimos, the second moon of Mars is in extra-synchronous orbit and almost stay put in the present orbit. The reported altitude loss of Phobos is two meter per century by wikipedia and sixty ft per century according to ozgate url . The reported time in which the destruction will take place is fiftyMy and fortyMy respectively. The authors had proposed a planetary-satellite dynamics based on detailed study of Earth-Moon. Based on this planetary satellite dynamics, two meter/century approach velocity leads to the age of Phobos to be twenty three Gyrs which is physically untenable since our Solar System age is four and a half Gyrs. Hence the present altitude loss is assumed to be twenty meter per century. This leads to the age of Phobos to be two decimal three Gyrs and age of Deimos to be two decimal two six Gyrs which is an acceptable result and from this analysis it is predicted that the travel time from the present orbital radius of nine thousand three hundred and eighty km to the Martian surface at three thousand, three hundred and ninety seven km is ten decimal and four Myrs. Hence doomsday of Phobos is at ten decimal and fourMyrs from now. Mars Express studies have confirmed that Phobos is indeed trapped in a death spiral.