Abstract
Kumar's (1977) suggestion that the slow rotations of Mercury and Venus are in part due to natural satellites that subsequently escaped is discussed. A more useful criterion for the escape of such satellites than that previously proposed is derived, and it is shown that this distance is sufficiently small for Mercury and Venus to make the escape of satellites a likely possibility.
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Donnison, J.R. The escape of natural satellites from Mercury and Venus. Astrophys Space Sci 59, 499–501 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01023933
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01023933