On the impact origin of Phobos and Deimos III: resulting composition from different impactors

Understand

The origin of Phobos and Deimos in a giant impact generated disk is gaining larger attention.

• Although this scenario has been the subject of many studies, an evaluation of the chemical composition of the Mars' moons in this framework is missing.
• The chemical composition of Phobos and Deimos is unconstrained.
• The large uncertainty about the origin of the mid-infrared features, the lack of absorption bands in the visible and near-infrared spectra, and the effects of secondary processes on the moons' surface make the determination of their composition very difficult from remote sensing data.