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1.
André Balogh Réjean Grard Sean C. Solomon Rita Schulz Yves Langevin Yasumasa Kasaba Masaki Fujimoto 《Space Science Reviews》2007,132(2-4):611-645
Mercury is a very difficult planet to observe from the Earth, and space missions that target Mercury are essential for a comprehensive
understanding of the planet. At the same time, it is also difficult to orbit because it is deep inside the Sun’s gravitational
well. Only one mission has visited Mercury; that was Mariner 10 in the 1970s. This paper provides a brief history of Mariner
10 and the numerous imaginative but unsuccessful mission proposals since the 1970s for another Mercury mission. In the late
1990s, two missions—MESSENGER and BepiColombo—received the go-ahead; MESSENGER is on its way to its first encounter with Mercury
in January 2008. The history, scientific objectives, mission designs, and payloads of both these missions are described in
detail. 相似文献
2.
MESSENGER: Exploring Mercury’s Magnetosphere 总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1
James A. Slavin Stamatios M. Krimigis Mario H. Acuña Brian J. Anderson Daniel N. Baker Patrick L. Koehn Haje Korth Stefano Livi Barry H. Mauk Sean C. Solomon Thomas H. Zurbuchen 《Space Science Reviews》2007,131(1-4):133-160
The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission to Mercury offers our first opportunity
to explore this planet’s miniature magnetosphere since the brief flybys of Mariner 10. Mercury’s magnetosphere is unique in
many respects. The magnetosphere of Mercury is among the smallest in the solar system; its magnetic field typically stands
off the solar wind only ∼1000 to 2000 km above the surface. For this reason there are no closed drift paths for energetic
particles and, hence, no radiation belts. Magnetic reconnection at the dayside magnetopause may erode the subsolar magnetosphere,
allowing solar wind ions to impact directly the regolith. Inductive currents in Mercury’s interior may act to modify the solar
wind interaction by resisting changes due to solar wind pressure variations. Indeed, observations of these induction effects
may be an important source of information on the state of Mercury’s interior. In addition, Mercury’s magnetosphere is the
only one with its defining magnetic flux tubes rooted beneath the solid surface as opposed to an atmosphere with a conductive
ionospheric layer. This lack of an ionosphere is probably the underlying reason for the brevity of the very intense, but short-lived,
∼1–2 min, substorm-like energetic particle events observed by Mariner 10 during its first traversal of Mercury’s magnetic
tail. Because of Mercury’s proximity to the sun, 0.3–0.5 AU, this magnetosphere experiences the most extreme driving forces
in the solar system. All of these factors are expected to produce complicated interactions involving the exchange and recycling
of neutrals and ions among the solar wind, magnetosphere, and regolith. The electrodynamics of Mercury’s magnetosphere are
expected to be equally complex, with strong forcing by the solar wind, magnetic reconnection, and pick-up of planetary ions
all playing roles in the generation of field-aligned electric currents. However, these field-aligned currents do not close
in an ionosphere, but in some other manner. In addition to the insights into magnetospheric physics offered by study of the
solar wind–Mercury system, quantitative specification of the “external” magnetic field generated by magnetospheric currents
is necessary for accurate determination of the strength and multi-polar decomposition of Mercury’s intrinsic magnetic field.
MESSENGER’s highly capable instrumentation and broad orbital coverage will greatly advance our understanding of both the origin
of Mercury’s magnetic field and the acceleration of charged particles in small magnetospheres. In this article, we review
what is known about Mercury’s magnetosphere and describe the MESSENGER science team’s strategy for obtaining answers to the
outstanding science questions surrounding the interaction of the solar wind with Mercury and its small, but dynamic, magnetosphere. 相似文献
3.
Sean C. Solomon Ralph L. McNutt Jr. Robert E. Gold Deborah L. Domingue 《Space Science Reviews》2007,131(1-4):3-39
The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft, launched on August 3, 2004, is nearing the halfway point on its voyage to become the first probe to orbit the planet Mercury. The mission, spacecraft, and payload are designed to answer six fundamental questions regarding the innermost planet: (1) What planetary formational processes led to Mercury’s high ratio of metal to silicate? (2) What is the geological history of Mercury? (3) What are the nature and origin of Mercury’s magnetic field? (4) What are the structure and state of Mercury’s core? (5) What are the radar-reflective materials at Mercury’s poles? (6) What are the important volatile species and their sources and sinks near Mercury? The mission has focused to date on commissioning the spacecraft and science payload as well as planning for flyby and orbital operations. The second Venus flyby (June 2007) will complete final rehearsals for the Mercury flyby operations in January and October 2008 and September 2009. Those flybys will provide opportunities to image the hemisphere of the planet not seen by Mariner 10, obtain high-resolution spectral observations with which to map surface mineralogy and assay the exosphere, and carry out an exploration of the magnetic field and energetic particle distribution in the near-Mercury environment. The orbital phase, beginning on March 18, 2011, is a one-year-long, near-polar-orbital observational campaign that will address all mission goals. The orbital phase will complete global imaging, yield detailed surface compositional and topographic data over the northern hemisphere, determine the geometry of Mercury’s internal magnetic field and magnetosphere, ascertain the radius and physical state of Mercury’s outer core, assess the nature of Mercury’s polar deposits, and inventory exospheric neutrals and magnetospheric charged particle species over a range of dynamic conditions. Answering the questions that have guided the MESSENGER mission will expand our understanding of the formation and evolution of the terrestrial planets as a family. 相似文献
4.
The Geology of Mercury: The View Prior to the MESSENGER Mission 总被引:1,自引:0,他引:1
James W. Head Clark R. Chapman Deborah L. Domingue S. Edward Hawkins III William E. McClintock Scott L. Murchie Louise M. Prockter Mark S. Robinson Robert G. Strom Thomas R. Watters 《Space Science Reviews》2007,131(1-4):41-84
Mariner 10 and Earth-based observations have revealed Mercury, the innermost of the terrestrial planetary bodies, to be an
exciting laboratory for the study of Solar System geological processes. Mercury is characterized by a lunar-like surface,
a global magnetic field, and an interior dominated by an iron core having a radius at least three-quarters of the radius of
the planet. The 45% of the surface imaged by Mariner 10 reveals some distinctive differences from the Moon, however, with
major contractional fault scarps and huge expanses of moderate-albedo Cayley-like smooth plains of uncertain origin. Our current
image coverage of Mercury is comparable to that of telescopic photographs of the Earth’s Moon prior to the launch of Sputnik
in 1957. We have no photographic images of one-half of the surface, the resolution of the images we do have is generally poor
(∼1 km), and as with many lunar telescopic photographs, much of the available surface of Mercury is distorted by foreshortening
due to viewing geometry, or poorly suited for geological analysis and impact-crater counting for age determinations because
of high-Sun illumination conditions. Currently available topographic information is also very limited. Nonetheless, Mercury
is a geological laboratory that represents (1) a planet where the presence of a huge iron core may be due to impact stripping
of the crust and upper mantle, or alternatively, where formation of a huge core may have resulted in a residual mantle and
crust of potentially unusual composition and structure; (2) a planet with an internal chemical and mechanical structure that
provides new insights into planetary thermal history and the relative roles of conduction and convection in planetary heat
loss; (3) a one-tectonic-plate planet where constraints on major interior processes can be deduced from the geology of the
global tectonic system; (4) a planet where volcanic resurfacing may not have played a significant role in planetary history
and internally generated volcanic resurfacing may have ceased at ∼3.8 Ga; (5) a planet where impact craters can be used to
disentangle the fundamental roles of gravity and mean impactor velocity in determining impact crater morphology and morphometry;
(6) an environment where global impact crater counts can test fundamental concepts of the distribution of impactor populations
in space and time; (7) an extreme environment in which highly radar-reflective polar deposits, much more extensive than those
on the Moon, can be better understood; (8) an extreme environment in which the basic processes of space weathering can be
further deduced; and (9) a potential end-member in terrestrial planetary body geological evolution in which the relationships
of internal and surface evolution can be clearly assessed from both a tectonic and volcanic point of view. In the half-century
since the launch of Sputnik, more than 30 spacecraft have been sent to the Moon, yet only now is a second spacecraft en route
to Mercury. The MESSENGER mission will address key questions about the geologic evolution of Mercury; the depth and breadth
of the MESSENGER data will permit the confident reconstruction of the geological history and thermal evolution of Mercury
using new imaging, topography, chemistry, mineralogy, gravity, magnetic, and environmental data. 相似文献
5.
Deborah L. Domingue Patrick L. Koehn Rosemary M. Killen Ann L. Sprague Menelaos Sarantos Andrew F. Cheng Eric T. Bradley William E. McClintock 《Space Science Reviews》2007,131(1-4):161-186
The existence of a surface-bounded exosphere about Mercury was discovered through the Mariner 10 airglow and occultation experiments.
Most of what is currently known or understood about this very tenuous atmosphere, however, comes from ground-based telescopic
observations. It is likely that only a subset of the exospheric constituents have been identified, but their variable abundance
with location, time, and space weather events demonstrate that Mercury’s exosphere is part of a complex system involving the
planet’s surface, magnetosphere, and the surrounding space environment (the solar wind and interplanetary magnetic field).
This paper reviews the current hypotheses and supporting observations concerning the processes that form and support the exosphere.
The outstanding questions and issues regarding Mercury’s exosphere stem from our current lack of knowledge concerning the
surface composition, the magnetic field behavior within the local space environment, and the character of the local space
environment. 相似文献
6.
William V. Boynton Ann L. Sprague Sean C. Solomon Richard D. Starr Larry G. Evans William C. Feldman Jacob I. Trombka Edgar A. Rhodes 《Space Science Reviews》2007,131(1-4):85-104
The instrument suite on the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft is well suited
to address several of Mercury’s outstanding geochemical problems. A combination of data from the Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer
(GRNS) and X-Ray Spectrometer (XRS) instruments will yield the surface abundances of both volatile (K) and refractory (Al,
Ca, and Th) elements, which will test the three competing hypotheses for the origin of Mercury’s high bulk metal fraction:
aerodynamic drag in the early solar nebula, preferential vaporization of silicates, or giant impact. These same elements,
with the addition of Mg, Si, and Fe, will put significant constraints on geochemical processes that have formed the crust
and produced any later volcanism. The Neutron Spectrometer sensor on the GRNS instrument will yield estimates of the amount
of H in surface materials and may ascertain if the permanently shadowed polar craters have a significant excess of H due to
water ice. A comparison of the FeO content of olivine and pyroxene determined by the Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition
Spectrometer (MASCS) instrument with the total Fe determined through both GRNS and XRS will permit an estimate of the amount
of Fe present in other forms, including metal and sulfides. 相似文献
7.
Helene L. Winters Deborah L. Domingue Teck H. Choo Raymond Espiritu Christopher Hash Erick Malaret Alan A. Mick Joseph P. Skura Joshua Steele 《Space Science Reviews》2007,131(1-4):601-623
The MESSENGER Science Operations Center (SOC) is an integrated set of subsystems and personnel whose purpose is to obtain,
provide, and preserve the scientific measurements and analysis that fulfill the objectives of the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment,
GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission. The SOC has two main functional areas. The first is to facilitate science instrument
planning and operational activities, including related spacecraft guidance and control operations, and to work closely with
the Mission Operations Center to implement those plans. The second functional area, data management and analysis, involves
the receipt of science-related telemetry, reformatting and cataloging this telemetry and related ancillary information, retaining
the science data for use by the MESSENGER Science Team, and preparing data archives for delivery to the Planetary Data System;
and the provision of operational assistance to the instrument and science teams in executing their algorithms and generating
higher-level data products. 相似文献
8.
James C. Leary Richard F. Conde George Dakermanji Carl S. Engelbrecht Carl J. Ercol Karl B. Fielhauer David G. Grant Theodore J. Hartka Tracy A. Hill Stephen E. Jaskulek Mary A. Mirantes Larry E. Mosher Michael V. Paul David F. Persons Elliot H. Rodberg Dipak K. Srinivasan Robin M. Vaughan Samuel R. Wiley 《Space Science Reviews》2007,131(1-4):187-217
The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft was designed and constructed to withstand the harsh environments associated with achieving and operating in Mercury
orbit. The system can be divided into eight subsystems: structures and mechanisms (e.g., the composite core structure, aluminum
launch vehicle adapter, and deployables), propulsion (e.g., the state-of-the-art titanium fuel tanks, thruster modules, and
associated plumbing), thermal (e.g., the ceramic-cloth sunshade, heaters, and radiators), power (e.g., solar arrays, battery,
and controlling electronics), avionics (e.g., the processors, solid-state recorder, and data handling electronics), software
(e.g., processor-supported code that performs commanding, data handling, and spacecraft control), guidance and control (e.g.,
attitude sensors including star cameras and Sun sensors integrated with controllers including reaction wheels), radio frequency
telecommunications (e.g., the spacecraft antenna suites and supporting electronics), and payload (e.g., the science instruments
and supporting processors). This system architecture went through an extensive (nearly four-year) development and testing
effort that provided the team with confidence that all mission goals will be achieved.
Larry E. Mosher passed away during the preparation of this paper. 相似文献
9.
Maria T. Zuber Oded Aharonson Jonathan M. Aurnou Andrew F. Cheng Steven A. Hauck II Moritz H. Heimpel Gregory A. Neumann Stanton J. Peale Roger J. Phillips David E. Smith Sean C. Solomon Sabine Stanley 《Space Science Reviews》2007,131(1-4):105-132
Current geophysical knowledge of the planet Mercury is based upon observations from ground-based astronomy and flybys of the
Mariner 10 spacecraft, along with theoretical and computational studies. Mercury has the highest uncompressed density of the
terrestrial planets and by implication has a metallic core with a radius approximately 75% of the planetary radius. Mercury’s
spin rate is stably locked at 1.5 times the orbital mean motion. Capture into this state is the natural result of tidal evolution
if this is the only dissipative process affecting the spin, but the capture probability is enhanced if Mercury’s core were
molten at the time of capture. The discovery of Mercury’s magnetic field by Mariner 10 suggests the possibility that the core
is partially molten to the present, a result that is surprising given the planet’s size and a surface crater density indicative
of early cessation of significant volcanic activity. A present-day liquid outer core within Mercury would require either a
core sulfur content of at least several weight percent or an unusual history of heat loss from the planet’s core and silicate
fraction. A crustal remanent contribution to Mercury’s observed magnetic field cannot be ruled out on the basis of current
knowledge. Measurements from the MESSENGER orbiter, in combination with continued ground-based observations, hold the promise
of setting on a firmer basis our understanding of the structure and evolution of Mercury’s interior and the relationship of
that evolution to the planet’s geological history. 相似文献
10.
The Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS) is one of seven science instruments onboard the MErcury
Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft en route to the planet Mercury. MASCS consists
of a small Cassegrain telescope with 257-mm effective focal length and a 50-mm aperture that simultaneously feeds an UltraViolet
and Visible Spectrometer (UVVS) and a Visible and InfraRed Spectrograph (VIRS). UVVS is a 125-mm focal length, scanning grating,
Ebert-Fastie monochromator equipped with three photomultiplier tube detectors that cover far ultraviolet (115–180 nm), middle
ultraviolet (160–320 nm), and visible (250–600 nm) wavelengths with an average 0.6-nm spectral resolution. It will measure
altitude profiles of known species in order to determine the composition and structure of Mercury’s exosphere and its variability
and will search for previously undetected exospheric species. VIRS is a 210-mm focal length, fixed concave grating spectrograph
equipped with a beam splitter that simultaneously disperses the spectrum onto a 512-element silicon visible photodiode array
(300–1050 nm) and a 256-element indium-gallium-arsenide infrared photodiode array 850–1,450 nm. It will obtain maps of surface
reflectance spectra with a 5-nm resolution in the 300–1,450 nm wavelength range that will be used to investigate mineralogical
composition on spatial scales of 5 km. UVVS will also observe the surface in the far and middle ultraviolet at a 10-km or
smaller spatial scale. This paper summarizes the science rationale and measurement objectives for MASCS, discusses its detailed
design and its calibration requirements, and briefly outlines observation strategies for its use during MESSENGER orbital
operations around Mercury. 相似文献