Rotational kinematics and torques for triaxial bodies

Precession of the orbit poles and spin poles for triaxial bodies, including the possibility of phase locking, is addressed here. We provide a simple derivation of the time-averaged gravitational potential and associated torque, thereby confirming the results of Gladman et al. (Gladman, B., Quinn, D., Nicholson, P., Rand, R. [1996]. Icarus 122, 166–192).