Other
Scientific paper
May 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008agusm.u23a..04p&link_type=abstract
American Geophysical Union, Spring Meeting 2008, abstract #U23A-04
Other
5420 Impact Phenomena, Cratering (6022, 8136), 5464 Remote Sensing, 5470 Surface Materials And Properties, 5480 Volcanism (6063, 8148, 8450), 6235 Mercury
Scientific paper
The surface of Mercury was imaged in January 2008, for the first time in over three decades, by the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) on the MESSENGER spacecraft. Over 1200 images of the surface were acquired, at resolutions as high as 100 m/pixel, comparable to the best images acquired by the Mariner 10 spacecraft in the mid-1970s. Mariner 10 imaged approximately 45% of Mercury's surface, and MESSENGER returned images of an additional 21%, so two-thirds of Mercury has now been imaged by spacecraft at regional resolutions or higher. The MDIS instrument consists of a Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) with a 1.5 degree field of view and a Wide Angle Camera (WAC) with a 10.5 degree field of view. The WAC contains 11 filters spanning the range 430 to 1010 nm, as well as a broadband filter centered at 700 nm and used for optical navigation and calibration. These two imagers are mounted on a pivot assembly with a 90 degree range, allowing the instrument to be pointed independently of the other instruments on the spacecraft. MESSENGER passed only 200 km from Mercury's surface during its first flyby, enabling a number of image mosaics to be acquired at high- and regional-resolutions. On approach to the planet, significant portions of the surface seen under high-sun illumination by Mariner 10 were re-imaged by MESSENGER under excellent low- sun viewing conditions. These new images dramatically reveal topography that was invisible in the Mariner 10 data, such as lobate scarps, which now appear to be common across the surface. After the closest approach point of the flyby, the spacecraft crossed the terminator into daylight, returning the first high-resolution image mosaics of Mercury's previously unimaged hemisphere. In addition, 11-color images were obtained providing fresh input to ongoing studies of the style and evolution of Mercury's surface geology.
Chapman Clark R.
Domingue Donovan L.
Head James W.
Murchie Scott L.
Prockter Louise M.
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