Other
Scientific paper
Sep 2008
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2008dps....40.5603s&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, DPS meeting #40, #56.03; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 40, p.500
Other
Scientific paper
MESSENGER is the first spacecraft to visit the planet Mercury in more than 30 years. On 14 January, MESSENGER flew by Mercury and conducted color imaging of the surface, the first high-resolution spectral reflectance measurements (from ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths) of surface composition, the first spacecraft altimetric measurements of surface topography, the deepest penetration yet into Mercury's magnetosphere, the first measurements of the abundances and compositions of plasma ions in Mercury's magnetosphere, and searches for previously undetected species in Mercury's surface-based exosphere and neutral sodium tail. MESSENGER confirmed that Mercury's internal magnetic field is primarily dipolar, documented water-group and other ions in the magnetosphere, mapped a north-south asymmetry in the Na tail and determined the Na/Ca ratio near the tail and near the dawn terminator, and detected two outbound current-sheet boundaries that may indicate a planetary ion boundary layer. The laser altimeter demonstrated that the equatorial topographic relief of Mercury is at least 5 km. MESSENGER's images provided evidence for widespread volcanism, and candidate sites for volcanic centers were identified. Also revealed were newly imaged lobate scarps and other tectonic landforms supportive of the hypothesis that Mercury contracted globally in response to interior cooling and growth of a solid inner core. Reflectance spectra show no evidence for FeO in surface silicates, and MESSENGER's neutron spectrometer yielded an upper bound of 6% on the surface Fe abundance. The reflectance and color imaging observations support earlier inferences that Mercury's surface material consists dominantly of iron-poor, calcium-magnesium silicates with an admixture of spectrally neutral opaque minerals. On 6 October, MESSENGER will fly by Mercury for a second time, an encounter that will reveal more than 30% of the planet never before seen at close range. Targeted observations of the surface, exosphere, and tail will profit from the experiences of the first flyby.
Anderson Benjamin J.
Domingue Donovan L.
Evans Larry G.
Gold Robert E.
Head James W.
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