Mass Estimate Of The Moon Phobos From The Radio Science Experiment Mars On Mars-express

Details Mass Estimate Of The Moon Phobos From The Radio Science Experiment Mars On Mars-express Mass Estimate Of The Moon Phobos From The Radio Science Experiment Mars On Mars-express

Sep 2006

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006dps....38.6101a&link_type=abstract

American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #38, #61.01; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 38, p.602

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The mass of the Mars moon Phobos has been estimated several times based on radio tracking data during close flybys by Viking, Phobos-2 and MGS spacecraft. The derived GM values (gravity constant times mass) of the moon Phobos vary considerably between 0.66x10-3 km3/s2 and 0.85x10-3 km3/s2 with a weighted mean value of 0.74±0.06x10-3 km3/s2.
Two approaches have been used for a new estimate of the Phobos mass based on tracking data from the flyby of the Mars Express spacecraft at a distance of 460 km on 23rd March 2006. This closest approach distance to Phobos was not optimal but it was so far the only allowed and successful occasion for a mass determination by the radio science experiment MaRS within the prime and extended mission of Mars Express.
The first approach uses a precise reconstruction of the flown orbit of MEX during the flyby and a prediction of the orbit without Phobos using the GINS (Géodésie par Integrations Numériques Simultanées) software, developed at CNES and adapted for planetary missions at ROB. The GM value was fit to the frequency residuals. The resulting value of GM is within the 1σ range of the mean value above at an error of 5%. The error combines the measurement noise from the radio propagation and the thermal noise and constitutes an acceptable SNR in view of the large flyby distance. A much better SNR could have been achieved at smaller flyby distances which are required for verification. The second approach is the adjustement of the GM value along with other parameters during the precise MEX orbit reconstruction performed with the GINS software. The results of both methods are compared and discussed.

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