Orbit elements for the two Martian satellites Phobos and Deimos have been determined from 80 television photographs of the satellites taken by the imaging system of the Mariner 9 spacecraft. Phobos was found to be within 60 km of its positions predicted by recently published ephemeris theories which include a secular acceleration term in the longitude. This tends to corroborate the existence of a secular acceleration in the longitude of Phobos. Deimos was found to be within 100 km of its position predicted from earth-based observations. Comparison of the satellite's orbits determined from Mariner 9 data are made to these same ephemeric theories which are based on recent processing of earth-based observations. In addition, the magnitude of periodic perturbations to the satellite orbits due to Mars' gravity field and solar gravity are discussed and a 110 km long period perturbation in the longitude of Deimos is identified.


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    Title :

    The motions of Phobos and Deimos from Mariner 9 TV data


    Contributors:

    Publication date :

    1975-08-01


    Type of media :

    Miscellaneous


    Type of material :

    No indication


    Language :

    English


    Keywords :


    Viewing Phobos and Deimos for navigating Mariner

    DUXBURY, T. / BORN, G. / GERATH, N. | AIAA | 1972


    Viewing Phobos and Deimos for navigating Mariner 9.

    Duxbury, T. C. / Born, G. H. / Jerath, N. | NTRS | 1972


    Viewing Phobos and Deimos for Navigating Mariner 9

    T. C. DUXBURY / G. H. BORN / AND N. JERATH | AIAA | 1974


    Mariner 9 television observations of Phobos and Deimos 2

    Pollack, J. B. / Veverka, J. / Noland, M. et al. | NTRS | 1973


    Phobos/Deimos Missions

    E. BRIAN PRITCHARD AND EDWIN F. HARRISON | AIAA | 1972