The large differences between the Moon's three principal moments of inertia have been mystery since Laplace considered them in 1799. Here we present calculations that show how past high eccentricity orbits can account for the moment differences, represented by the low-order lunar gravity field and libration parameters. One of our solutions is that the Moon may have once been in a 3:2 resonance of the orbit period to spin-period, similar to Mercury's present state. The possibility of past high-eccentricity orbits suggests a rich dynamical history and may influence our understanding of the early thermal evolution of the Moon.
Evidence for a Past High-Eccentricity Lunar Orbit
Science ; 313 , 5787
2007-01-01
Miscellaneous
No indication
English
Low Lunar Orbit Design via Graphical Manipulation of Eccentricity Vector Evolution
British Library Conference Proceedings | 2012
|Engineering Index Backfile | 1960
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