Published June 16, 2026 | Version V1
Preprint Open

The Inner Solar System Satellite Cascade: Missing Moons, Venus–Earth Divergence, and Threshold-Memory Predictions

Description

Inner Solar System Satellite Cascade

This paper presents quantified predictions derived from the threshold-architecture framework. The predictions concern the predicted masses and fates of missing satellite roles in the inner Solar System; a hypothesis connecting the Moon-forming impact to Venus' retrograde rotation, absent moon, and climate failure (the Venus–Earth billiard separation hypothesis); the classification of Pluto–Charon as a binary threshold memory system; rogue planet subclassification by master-node type; and outer Solar System missing-role candidates including a possible hidden outer control node. Earth is not the default inner planet. It is the only one that passed the satellite retention threshold. Mercury, Venus, and Mars each failed that threshold by a different mechanism. The calculations are order-of-magnitude internally consistent and generate specific observational tests tied to DAVINCI-class Venus atmospheric measurements, the Martian Moons eXploration mission, N-body simulations, and future rogue planet detections. These are unconfirmed predictions posted to establish priority and invite community testing. This paper is part of a five-paper threshold-architecture series: (1) Mars atmospheric threshold failure; (2) threshold architecture and control-quiet habitability; (3) inner Solar System satellite cascade; (4) stellar lifetime threshold relay; (5) threshold memory atlas.

Files

Satellite_Cascade.pdf

Files (254.4 kB)

Name Size
md5:cc5c085918e9e8fe506ac5dba5a2fc00
254.4 kB Preview Download

Additional details

References

  • Abbot, D. S., and Switzer, E. R. (2011). The Steppenwolf: a proposal for a habitable planet in in- terstellar space. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 735, L27. doi:10.1088/2041-8205/735/2/L27.
  • Batygin, K., and Brown, M. E. (2016). Evidence for a distant giant planet in the Solar System. The Astronomical Journal, 151(2), 22. doi:10.3847/0004-6256/151/2/22.
  • Batygin, K., Adams, F. C., Brown, M. E., and Becker, J. C. (2019). The Planet Nine hypothesis. Physics Reports, 805, 1–53. doi:10.1016/j.physrep.2019.01.009
  • Canup, R. M. (2005). A giant impact origin of Pluto–Charon. Science, 307(5709), 546–550. doi:10.1126/science.1106818.
  • Caspian, E. A. (2026). Mars' Atmosphere as a Threshold System: Atmospheric Inven- tory, Escape-Energy Marginality, and a Conditional Moon–Ring Mechanics Branch. Zenodo. doi:10.5281/zenodo.20723418.
  • Caspian, E. A. (2026). Threshold Architecture of Planetary Systems: Control Nodes, Regime Margins, and Control-Quiet Habitability Corridors. Preprint. doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20723506
  • Correia, A. C. M., and Laskar, J. (2001). The four final rotation states of Venus. Nature, 411, 767–770. doi:10.1038/35081000.
  • Cuk, M., Minton, D. A., Pouplin, J. L. L., and Wishard, C. (2020). Evidence for a past Mar- tian ring from the orbital inclination of Deimos. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 896, L28. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ab974f
  • Dong, S., et al. (2021). A new channel for detecting Earth-mass planets around nearby stars. The Astrophysical Journal Letters, 921, L16. doi:10.3847/2041-8213/ac2e2d.
  • Gomes, R., Levison, H. F., Tsiganis, K., and Morbidelli, A. (2005). Origin of the cata- clysmic Late Heavy Bombardment period of the terrestrial planets. Nature, 435, 466–469. doi:10.1038/nature03676
  • Hesselbrock, A. J., and Minton, D. A. (2017). An ongoing satellite–ring cycle of Mars and the origins of Phobos and Deimos. Nature Geoscience, 10, 266–269. doi:10.1038/ngeo2916
  • Malhotra, R. (1995). The origin of Pluto's orbit: implications for the Solar System beyond Neptune. The Astronomical Journal, 110, 420–429. doi:10.1086/117532.
  • Mullens, E., Schmidt, B., Kaltenegger, L., and Lewis, N. K. (2025). Life after death: Europa in the evolving habitable zone of a red Sun. arXiv preprint arXiv:2505.15495. doi:10.48550/arXiv.2505.15495.
  • Stern, S. A., et al. (2015). The Pluto system: Initial results from its exploration by New Horizons. Science, 350(6258), aad1815. doi:10.1126/science.aad1815.
  • Stevenson, D. J. (1999). Life-sustaining planets in interstellar space? Nature, 400, 32. doi:10.1038/21811.
  • Walsh, K. J., Morbidelli, A., Raymond, S. N., O'Brien, D. P., and Mandell, A. M. (2011). A low mass for Mars from Jupiter's early gas-driven migration. Nature, 475, 206–209. doi:10.1038/nature10201.