Refinement of Phobos Ephemeris Using Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter RadiometryRadiometric observations from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) can be used to improve the ephemeris of Phobos, with particular interest in refining estimates of the secular acceleration due to tidal dissipation within Mars. We have searched the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA) radiometry data for shadows cast by the moon Phobos, finding 7 such profiles during the Mapping and Extended Mission phases, and 5 during the last two years of radiometry operations. Preliminary data suggest that the motion of Phobos has advanced by one or more seconds beyond that predicted by the current ephemerides, and the advance has increased over the 5 years of Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) operations.
Document ID
20040065997
Acquisition Source
Johnson Space Center
Document Type
Conference Paper
Authors
Neumann, G. A. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Bills, B. G. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Smith, D. E. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Zuber, M. T. (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Greenbelt, MD, United States)
Date Acquired
August 21, 2013
Publication Date
January 1, 2004
Publication Information
Publication: Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Mars Geophysics