[meteorite-list] meteorite from Phobos? Kaidun

From: Popocatept_at_aol.com <Popocatept_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:29:57 2004
Message-ID: <126.31241822.2c9a5f5b_at_aol.com>

You guys are dancing around the answer to the question. The Vernadsky
Institute has in their possession a meteorite that they believe came from Phobos.
Why do they think so? Because it has a spectral match with carbonaceous
chondrites as does Phobos and it has at least 2 clasts that are Shergottite like
that they theorize were blasted off Mars and were later captured by Phobos and
incorporated into its regolith, before being blasted into space and eventually
falling to Earth.

The meteorite is Kaidun, which I mentioned about 2 weeks ago.

Mike Fowler
Chicago

See: http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meetings/lpsc2003/pdf/1236.pdf


>My question is: Would it be possible to find on Earth, meteorites with an
>origin from Phobos (or the other moon Deimos)?

"Yes, but at present we don't really have any way to determine if a specific
meteorite originated from Phobos or Deimos as opposed to asteroids of similar
composition (as best we can determine the composition without actual samples).
 The Russians have been planning to launch a sample return mission to Phobos
for some time. Last I heard they were hopeful of a late 2004 sendoff.

-- Philip R. "Pib" Burns"
Received on Wed 17 Sep 2003 09:07:39 PM PDT