Physics
Scientific paper
Dec 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008agufm.p53a1431a&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Fall Meeting 2008, abstract #P53A-1431
Physics
6230 Martian Satellites
Scientific paper
The mass of the Mars moon Phobos has been estimated several times from radio tracking data. The derived GM values (gravity constant times mass) of Phobos vary considerably between 0.585x10-3 km3/s2 (Smith et al., 1995) and 0.85x10-3 km3/s2 (Williams et al., 1988). The earliest estimates (Christensen et al., 1977; Tolson et al., 1977; Williams et al., 1988; Kolyuka et al., 1990) have been derived from radio tracking data gained during close flybys by the Viking 1 and 2 orbiters and Phobos-2 while the most recent estimates have been computed from distant encounters, however based on a large data base of mostly Mars Global Surveyor, Odyssey and Mars-Express tracking data (Yuan et al, 2001; Konopliv et al., 2006; Rosenblatt et al., 2008). MEX, however, is currently the only spacecraft at Mars which is able to perform close flybys at Phobos. The first two flybys have been used for the Phobos mass determination: the first one on 23rd March 2006 at a distance of 460 km and the second one on 17th July 2008 at a distance of 274 km. The tracking data of both flybys have been analysed by a high precision determination of the spacecraft orbit and by implementing relativistic corrections in the simulation of the Doppler signal. The tracking data were calibrated for the Earth ionosphere and troposphere and filtered in order to reduce the noise of the data. The mass of Phobos was determined by applying a least square technique when comparing the modelled and measured tracking data to be GM = 0.709 +/- 0.002x10-3 km3/s2. The mass solution is in good agreement with solutions obtained from recent estimates based on distant encounters and shows a very small statistical error. Depending on the choice of the volume estimate the bulk density of Phobos is estimated 1849 - 1870 kg/m3.
Andert Thomas P.
Häußler Boris
Pätzold Martin
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