NASA study reveals new theory on how Mars' moons formed from asteroid debris

A NASA study using supercomputer simulations suggests that Mars' moons, Phobos and Deimos, may have formed from the debris of a disrupted asteroid. The asteroid could have been torn apart by Mars' gravity, scattering fragments into orbit. The research team explored various scenarios, finding that enough fragments could collide and coalesce into the moons. This new model differs from previous theories, which proposed that the moons were either captured asteroids or formed from a giant impact on Mars. The upcoming Martian Moons eXploration mission will further investigate the moons' origins by collecting samples from Phobos. The findings from this study may help clarify the moons' formation process and contribute to our understanding of moon formation in general.