Other
Scientific paper
Sep 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008dps....40.5102n&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #40, #51.02; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 40, p.490
Other
Scientific paper
The surface elemental composition of Mercury is essentially unknown but important for understanding the origin and history of the planet. The MESSENGER spacecraft carries two instruments designed to directly determine elemental composition: an X-Ray Spectrometer (XRS) and a Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer (GRNS). During the first Mercury flyby on 14 January 2008, the solar X-ray flux was too low to obtain any useful compositional data by the XRS. The Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) sensor on GRNS did detect gamma-rays from the surface of the planet, with the unambiguous (and unsurprising) detection of Si. More importantly, no 1461-keV photons due to 40K decay were detected, indicating an upper limit of 0.5 wt% for the K abundance at the equatorial region viewed by the GRS during the flyby. This result rules out composition models dominated by K-rich feldspar. A clear signal of thermal neutrons was detected by the Neutron Spectrometer (NS) sensor during the flyby. Preliminary analysis of the NS flyby data indicates an upper limit of about 6% for the total surface Fe abundance, in agreement with other indications that Mercury's surface is low in Fe. Preliminary geochemical results from the second MESSENGER flyby of Mercury, on 6 October, will be presented.
Boynton Willam V.
Evans Larry G.
Feldman William C.
Goldsten John O.
Lawrence D. Jr. J.
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