Computer Science
Scientific paper
Jan 2002
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2002iaf..confe.705s&link_type=abstract
IAF abstracts, 34th COSPAR Scientific Assembly, The Second World Space Congress, held 10-19 October, 2002 in Houston, TX, USA.,
Computer Science
Scientific paper
at the planet 100 days after launch and provide sophisticated scientific measurements not in principle available using orbiters, while meanwhile being far less risky, time-consuming and costly from an operations standpoint. Our `Mercury Express' is fast, low cost, low risk, high heritage, and high return. It carries a large payload as well as 2 easily-deployed mini-probes of <10 kg each. It can complete an overview of the surface within 1 year from launch (which can be as early as 2006), after 2 encounters. The mission concept was developed at NASA/GSFC based on previously unexploited yearly opportunities for flyby trajectories which take advantage of Mercury's spin orbital resonance and allow the spacecraft to re- encounter Mercury at the same relative position in its revolution around the sun, when its hemispheres are alternately illuminated. Mercury Express can use an inexpensive launch vehicle to directly transfer its payload from Earth to Mercury in 100 days and allow return to Mercury for a second encounter 264 days later when the planet's opposite side is illuminated. Exposure to high thermal radiation during encounters is minimal so that, by using a passive design approach, the Express spacecraft can survive its relatively short duration, low altitude, flybys. lead time, long duration, Mercury missions ( NASA's Mercury Messenger and ESA's Bepi Colombo). Mercury Express features a systematic, multi-disciplinary approach to the study of Mercury, based on a robust instrumentation package which would return a high data volume (>100 Gbits). A well-instrumented spacecraft with equatorial periapses supported by two polar nanoprobes substantially expands the measurement capability provided by a single spacecraft. The two probes, each with a magnetometer and transponder (for radio science), are planed for release just before first encounter. and configured to fly over the planet's north and south poles while the main spacecraft flies over the equatorial region, thus providing simultaneous multi-point measurements of the magnetosphere. The main spacecraft instrument payload, which allows Mercury and its environment to be studied as a system, includes visible and near IR imaging, X-ray, and UV spectrometers, as well as high time resolution fields and particles instruments to measure solar wind induced activity in the magnetosphere. The mission strategy combines high data volume with low demand on ground based communications. High capacity (50 Gbit) solid state recorders allow data to be burst into memory during each Encounter, and played back gradually to the ground. The mission is particularly suited to investigate the planet's interior structure and magnetic field to 3rd order; provide imaging and bulk composition of the entire surface, determine the composition of the exosphere, and model the 3D structure, composition, boundaries, wave/particle interactions, dynamics and particle sources/sinks of the magnetosphere. Thus, the Mercury Express approach can uniquely provide a comprehensive field, particle, and plasma dataset, which would allow a more complete interpretation of planned orbiter data.
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