A Mercury Infrared Spectrometer (MISP) on the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) for the Bepi Colombo Mission

Details A Mercury Infrared Spectrometer (MISP) on the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) for the Bepi Colombo Mission A Mercury Infrared Spectrometer (MISP) on the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) for the Bepi Colombo Mission

Apr 2003

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2003eaeja....12846h&link_type=abstract

EGS - AGU - EUG Joint Assembly, Abstracts from the meeting held in Nice, France, 6 - 11 April 2003, abstract #12846

Mathematics

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Scientific paper

The Mercury Infrared Spectrometer (MISP) is intended to provide detailed information about the mineralogical composition of Mercury’s surface layer. In our opinion, the thermal infrared range is the diagnostic region for mineral identification. Telescopic measurements have shown that the surface composition of Mercury can be derived only indirectly from VIS/NIR-spectra: The spectral slopes and the absence of any feature in the range from 0.5 to 1 µm suggest anorthite as main component. From albedo value, it was concluded that at most 3 wt. % FeO and < 1 wt. % TiO2 could be present in the hermean regolith. For wavelengths longer 1.5 µm, Mercury’s thermal flux exceeds the flux reflected from the surface. Mineralogical studies in the NIR transition range are difficult due to competing processes of reflectance and emittance eliminating diagnostic absorption features. Feldspars are expected to belong to Mercury’s main constituents. In the NIR-range, however, pure feldspars have no specific spectral signature. The reliable detection of any feldspar and even their detailed classification are highly questionable. In the TIR-range, however, feldspars can be detected - and specified! - by means of their diagnostic spectral signatures: Christiansen frequency, reststrahlen band, and transparency feature. In addition, pyroxenes and most other minerals can be detected and specified in this spectral range. The MISP operating in the range between 7 and 14 µm will provide valuable mineral identification also for feldspars and low-iron species that are expected to be prevailing on Mercury’s surface. The MISP consists of a telecentric, off-axis telescope f/2.1, f = 50 mm followed by a grating spectrometer in Offner design, the camera head with front-end electronics, and the main electronics. The detector is a micro-bolometer array of 320 x 240 pixels @ 25 µm for the spectral range from 7 14 µm. The entire imaging spectrometer yields a spectral resolution of about 90 nm for 7 to 14 µm. From the intended orbit altitude of 400 km, the spatial resolution will be in the range of about 400 to 600 meter, depending on the hermian surface temperature, along a swath width of about 64 km. The spectral and geometrical resolution is demonstrated by simulation applying the performance of MISP to spectra of feldspars taken in the laboratory.

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