MESSENGER Mission Overview

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.     

The Origin of Mercury’s Internal Magnetic Field

Mariner 10 measurements proved the existence of a large-scale internal magnetic field on Mercury. The observed field amplitude, however, is too weak to be compatible with typical convective planetary dynamos. The Lorentz force based on an extrapolation of Mariner 10 data to the dynamo region is 10⁻⁴ times smaller than the Coriolis force. This is at odds with the idea that planetary dynamos are thought to work in the so-called magnetostrophic regime, where Coriolis force and Lorentz force should be of comparable magnitude. Recent convective dynamo simulations reviewed here seem to resolve this caveat. We show that the available convective power indeed suffices to drive a magnetostrophic dynamo even when the heat flow though Mercury’s core–mantle boundary is subadiabatic, as suggested by thermal evolution models. Two possible causes are analyzed that could explain why the observations do not reflect a stronger internal field. First, toroidal magnetic fields can be strong but are confined to the conductive core, and second, the observations do not resolve potentially strong small-scale contributions. We review different dynamo simulations that promote either or both effects by (1) strongly driving convection, (2) assuming a particularly small inner core, or (3) assuming a very large inner core. These models still fall somewhat short of explaining the low amplitude of Mariner 10 observations, but the incorporation of an additional effect helps to reach this goal: The subadiabatic heat flow through Mercury’s core–mantle boundary may cause the outer part of the core to be stably stratified, which would largely exclude convective motions in this region. The magnetic field, which is small scale, strong, and very time dependent in the lower convective part of the core, must diffuse through the stagnant layer. Here, the electromagnetic skin effect filters out the more rapidly varying high-order contributions and mainly leaves behind the weaker and slower varying dipole and quadrupole components (Christensen in Nature 444:1056–1058, 2006). Messenger and BepiColombo data will allow us to discriminate between the various models in terms of the magnetic fields spatial structure, its degree of axisymmetry, and its secular variation.     

Missions to Mercury

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.     

多弧离子镀技术及其在高精度仪表中的应用

介绍了多弧离子镀技术,包括其技术原理、技术特点以及主要工艺参数,阐述了多弧离子镀技术在高精度仪表轴承零件表面改性方面的应用和存在的技术问题,对多弧离子镀技术在高精度仪表中的应用前景作出展望.     

钛合金的离子束改性

钛合金是航空航天工业常用的结构材料,它具有重量轻、强度高、抗腐蚀强等优良性能,但耐磨性较差.为提高其耐磨性,对TC4、TA7航材试件,采用溅射方法在其表面镀上钛膜,并用(N^＋＋N^＋₂)混合离子束进行动态反冲注入及单元素C^＋离子束注入两种方法,进行表面改性.精密摩擦、磨损试验及显微硬度测量结果,试件表面的滑动摩擦系数降低了64%~77%;磨损率减少了22%~48%;显微硬度提高0.3~1.4倍.证明离子注入有效地改善了合金表层的摩擦、磨损性能.对注入样品进行X射线光电子能谱(XPS)分析,发现注入后的钛合金表层,生成了大量的TiO₂,并析出TiN,TiC等金属化合物,这是降低摩擦系数,提高耐磨性的主要因素.添加C^＋离子注入的试件,其力学性能并无进一步改善,原因有待分析.     

An empirical model of the plasma environment around Mercury

Since the flyby observations by Mariner 10 in 1974 and 1975, Mercury has been one of the most interesting objects for space physics and planetary exploration. The MESSENGER and BepiColombo missions now plan to revisit this planet. In order to design plasma instruments for the BepiColombo mission, we have estimated electron and ion fluxes around Mercury with an empirical model, which has been developed for the Earth’s magnetotail. The solar wind data needed as input parameters are derived from Helios observations. The result shows that our predicted electron fluxes at aphelion agree well with the Mariner-10 data. It is also noted that ion instruments must cover a very wide dynamic range of proton fluxes. However, the applicability of the Earth’s magnetospheric model to Mercury is, in itself, an important issue for comparative magnetospheric studies.     

氙离子推力器束流分布特性研究

建立了离子推力器束流分布的高斯模型,以200mm氙离子推力器为例,在不同工作环境下对推力器束流分布进行了数值模拟,并通过试验测量了推力器引出切面不同位置(轴向z=50mm,z=100mm)下的径向束电流密度和束离子密度分布。通过对数值模拟结果与试验测量结果的比较,误差为17%,认为数值模拟结果与试验测量结果吻合较好。表明离子推力器引出束流呈轴对称分布,在推力器出口附近,束离子密度很大,越往下游,密度越小且束流出现发散。     

SiO32-浓度对KMnO4/FeSO4工艺除磷过程的影响

考察了天然水体中常见的SiO_3~(2-)对KMnO_4/FeSO_4工艺混凝除磷的影响。SiO_3~(2-)存在时KMnO_4/FeSO_4工艺混凝除磷的效能随着溶液pH的升高呈现先增加后降低的趋势。SiO_3~(2-)浓度为1.0 mmol/L,溶液pH值为4～6时,SiO_3~(2-)可促进KMnO_4/FeSO_4工艺除磷的效能,KMnO_4/FeSO_4工艺对磷的去除效果分别增加了6.0%,9.9%和6.3%;溶液pH值为7～9时,SiO_3~(2-)可显著抑制KMnO_4/FeSO_4工艺除磷的效能,KMnO_4/FeSO_4工艺对磷的去除效果分别降低了14.76%,32.6%和17.3%。KMnO_4/FeSO_4工艺形成的絮体颗粒物表面ζ电位显著降低,溶液中残余铁的量明显提高。另外,水中SiO_3~(2-)对KMnO_4/FeSO_4工艺形成的絮体颗粒物的组成和表面特征均有一定影响。该研究为KMnO_4/FeSO_4工艺混凝除磷技术的推广提供了必要的理论基础。     

基于位移等效的复合道面PCN计算方法

为了对复合道面承载力进行合理的评估,研究了 现行规范中复合道面等级号(Pavement classification number,PCN)计算方法,分析场道承载力的影响因素,确定了进行厚度折算的位 移等效原则。通过设计正交试验,经大量有限元试算,回归得到了复合道面厚度折算公式, 最后就各因素对厚度折算的影响规律进行了讨论。结果表明：复合道面PCN计算时,可按位 移等效原则将复合道面简化为一当量厚度的单层刚性板;道面混凝土厚度是影响PCN计算结 果的最关键因素。不同厚度折算计算方法会导致计算的PCN值差异较大;沥青混凝土厚度对 厚度折算结果的影响最为显著。     

深空探测用锂离子蓄电池在轨管理策略研究

高轨卫星、深空探测器在工作周期内地影时间较短,储能电池长期处于搁置状态,而在存储过程中由于界面副反应的存在会导致持续的锂离子电池容量衰降,影响储能电池的使用寿命。通过dV/dQ曲线分析、交流阻抗分析和解剖分析发现在存储过程中活性Li损失是导致锂离子电池容量损失的主要原因,在100%SoC状态时还会导致电解液在负极表面的分解加剧,引起正极的界面膜阻抗R_(SEI)和颗粒间接触阻抗R_(CR)出现明显的增加。研究结果表明:深空探测器电源系统在存储期间为了减少过放电风险,并减少不可逆容量损失,应将蓄电池的荷电状态控制在20%SoC左右,并定期进行充电。