David Minton

Dr. David Minton is an Associate Professor at Purdue University, specializing in Planetary Science and Celestial Mechanics. His research focuses on Martian moons (Phobos and Deimos), lunar cratering processes, asteroid dynamics, and impact dynamics across the solar system. He employs advanced modeling techniques to study orbital evolution, crater equilibrium, and ring-satellite interactions.

Key research areas include:
- Dynamics of Martian satellites and their orbital histories
- Impact crater formation and degradation mechanisms
- Crater chronology and lunar surface evolution
- Asteroid fragmentation and collisional processes
- Planetary ring system formation and stability

His recent work (2023–2025) addresses:
- Sesquinary orbital decay mechanisms for Deimos
- Transient impact fragment populations
- Crater equilibrium modeling with power-law distributions
- Lunar impact melt analysis at Apollo sites

No scientific awards or advising roles are listed. His research tools include the Swiftest N-body integrator and Fraggle fragment generation models.