Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-08T03:26:20.206Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The Study of Mercury

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 November 2010

Louise M. Prockter  and
Peter D. Bedini
Louise M. Prockter
Affiliation:
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, U.S.A. email: [email protected]
Peter D. Bedini
Affiliation:
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, 11100 Johns Hopkins Road, Laurel, MD 20723, U.S.A. email: [email protected]
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

When the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft enters orbit about Mercury in March 2011 it will begin a new phase in an age-old scientific study of the innermost planet. Despite being visible to the unaided eye, Mercury's proximity to the Sun makes it extremely difficult to observe from Earth. Nonetheless, over the centuries man has pursued a quest to understand the elusive planet, and has teased out information about its motions in the sky, its relation to the other planets, and its physical characteristics. A great leap was made in our understanding of Mercury when the Mariner 10 spacecraft flew past it three times in the mid-1970s, providing a rich set of close-up observations. Now, three decades later, The MESSENGER spacecraft has also visited the planet three times, and is poised to add significantly to the study with a year-long orbital observation campaign.

Keywords

History and philosophy of astronomyPlanets and satellites, generalCelestial mechanics, Space vehicles
Type
Contributed Papers
Information
Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union , Volume 6 , Symposium S269: Galileo's Medicean Moons: their impact on 400 years of discovery , January 2010 , pp. 141 - 154
Copyright
Copyright © International Astronomical Union 2010

References

Anselmi, A. & Scoon, G. E. N. 2001, BepiColombo, ESA's Mercury Cornerstone mission, Planet. Space Sci., 49, 1409–1420CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, B. J., Acuña, M. H., Korth, H., Purucker, M. E., Johnson, C. L., Slavin, J. A., Solomon, S. C., & McNutt, R. L. Jr. 2008, The Structure of Mercury's Magnetic Field from MESSENGER's First Flyby, Science, Vol. 321, pp. 82–85CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Antionadi, E. M. 1934, La Planete Mercure et la Rotation des Satellites. Paris: Gauthier-Villars. English Translation by Moore, P. and Shaldon, K. Reid, 1975Google Scholar
Beaver, D. deB. & Walther, B. 1970, Innovator in Astronomical Observation, J. History Astronomy, 1, 39–43CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Caspar, M. 1993, Kepler, Dover Publications, Inc., New YorkGoogle Scholar
Chapman, C. R. 1998a, Mercury: Introduction to an end-member planet, in Mercury, edited by Vilas, F., Chapman, C. R. and Mathews, M. S., pp. 1–23, University of Arizona Press, TucsonGoogle Scholar
Chapman, C. R. 1988b, Mercury's heart of iron, Astronomy, November, p. 22–35Google Scholar
Colombo, G. 1965, Rotational period of the planet Mercury, Nature, 208, 575CrossRefGoogle Scholar
COMPLEX, Strategy for Exploration of the Inner Planets: 1977-1987, (Committee on Lunar and Planetary Exploration, National Academy of Sciences, Washington), 97 pp.Google Scholar
Davies, M. E. et al. 1978, Atlas of Mercury, NASA Science and Technical Information Office, NASA SP-423, Washington DCGoogle Scholar
Denevi, B. W., Robinson, M. S., Solomon, S. C., Murchie, S. L., Blewett, D. T., Domingue, D. L., McCoy, T. J., Ernst, C. M., Head, J. W., Watters, T. R., & Chabot, N. L. 2009, The Evolution of Mercury's Crust: A Global Perspective from MESSENGER, Science 324, 613–615CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Denning, W. F. 1906, The planets and planetary observation, The Observatory, Vol 29, 101, 458–462Google Scholar
Dunne, J. A. & Burgess, E. 1978, The Voyage of Mariner 10, NASA SP-424, Washington DCGoogle Scholar
Fontana, F. 1646, Novae coelestium terrestriumq[ue] rerum observationes, et fortasse hactenus non vulgatae, 208Google Scholar
Grard, R., Novara, M., & Scoon, G. 2000, BepiColombo—A multidisciplinary mission to a hot planet, ESA Bull. 103, 11-19Google Scholar
Hayakawa, H., Kasaba, Y., Yamakawa, H., Ogawa, H., & Mukai, T. 2004, The BepiColombo/MMO model payload and operation plan, Adv. Space Res., 33, 2142–2146CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Head, J. W., Murchie, S. L., Prockter, L. M., Robinson, M. S., Solomon, S. C., Strom, R. G., Chapman, C. R., Watters, T. R., McClintock, W. E., Blewett, D. T., & Gillis-Davis, J. J. 2008, Volcanism on Mercury: Evidence from the First MESSENGER Flyby, Science, 321, 69–72CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Head, T. L. 1921, A History of Greek Mathematics: From Thales to Euclid, Volume 1, Clarendon Press, OxfordGoogle Scholar
Holden, E. S. 1890, Announcement of the Discovery of the Rotation Period of Mercury [by Professor SCHIAPARELLI], Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, Vol. 2, No. 7, p.79CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Jones, A. 2006, Ptolemy's Ancient Planetary Observations, Annals of Science, Vol. 63, No. 3, 255–290CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Klostermaier, K. K. 1989, A Survey of Hinduism, State University of New York Press, Albany, p. 417Google Scholar
Leary, J. C. et al. 2007, The MESSENGER spacecraft, Space Sci. Rev., 131, 187–217CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McAdams, J. V., Farquhar, R. W., Taylor, A. H., & Williams, B. G. 2007, MESSENGER Mission Design and Navigation, Space Sci. Rev., 219-246CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McClintock, W. E., Bradley, E. T., Vervack, R. J., Killen, R. M., Sprague, A. L., Izenberg, N. R., & Solomon, S. C. 2008, Mercury's Exosphere: Observations During MESSENGER's First Mercury Flyby, Science, 92-94CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McClintock, W. E., Vervack, R. J. Jr, Bradley, E. T., Killen, R. M., Mouawad, N., Sprague, A. L., Burger, M. H., Solomon, S. C., & Izenberg, N. R. 2009, MESSENGER Observations of Mercury's Exosphere: Detection of Magnesium and Distribution of Constituents, Science, 610-613CrossRefGoogle Scholar
McNutt, R. L. Jr, Solomon, S. C., Gold, R. E., & Leary, J. C. and the MESSENGER Team, 2006. The MESSENGER mission to Mercury: Development history and early mission status, Adv. Space Res. 38, 564–571CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Makemson, M. W. 1957, The miscellaneous dates of the Dresden Codex, Publications of the Vassar College Observatory, number 6, JuneGoogle Scholar
Morrison, D. 1976, IAU Nomenclature for Topographic Features on Mercury Icarus, 28, 605–606CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murchie, S. L., Watters, T. R., Robinson, M. S., Head, J. W., Strom, R. G., Chapman, C. R., Solomon, S. C., McClintock, W. E., Prockter, L. M., Domingue, D. L., & Blewett, D. T. 2008, Geology of the Caloris Basin, Mercury: A View from MESSENGER, Science, 321, 73–76CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Murray, B. & Burgess, E. 1977, Flight to Mercury, Columbia University PressGoogle Scholar
Murray, B. C., Belton, M. J. S., Danielson, G. E., Davies, M. E., Gault, D. E., Hapke, B., O'Leary, B., Strom, R. G., Suomi, V., & Trask, N. 1974, Mercury's Surface: Preliminary Description and Interpretation from Mariner 10 Pictures Science, 185, 169–179CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Murray, B. C., Strom, R. G., Trask, N. J., & Gault, D. E. 1975, Surface History of Mercury: Implications for Terrestrial Planets J. Geophys. Res., 80, 2508–2514CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ness, N. F. 1979, The magnetosphere of Mercury, in Solar System Plasma Physics, vol II, edited by Kennel, C. F., Lanzarotti, L. J., Parker, E. N. (North-Holland, New York), pp. 185–206Google Scholar
Pettengill, G. H. & Dyce, R. B. 1965, A Radar Determination of the Rotation of the Planet Mercury, Letters to the Editor Nature, 205CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Prockter, L. M., Ernst, C. M., Denevi, B. W., Chapman, C. R., Head, J. W. III, Fassett, C. I., Merline, W. J., Solomon, S. C., Watters, T. R., Strom, R. G., Cremonese, G., Marchi, S., & Massironi, M. 2010, Evidence for young volcanism on Mercury from the third MESSENGER flyby Science, 329, 668–671CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robinson, M. S. & Lucey, P. G. 1997, Recalibrated Mariner 10 Color Mosaics: Implications for Mercurian Volcanism Science, vol. 275, p.197–200CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Robinson, M. S., Murchie, S. L., Blewett, D. T., Domingue, D. L., Hawkins, S. E. III, Head, J. W., Holsclaw, G. M., McClintock, W. E., McCoy, T. J., McNutt, R. L. Jr, Prockter, L. M., Solomon, S. C., & Watters, T. R. 2008, Reflectance and Color Variations on Mercury: Regolith Processes and Compositional Heterogeneity Science, 66-69CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Santo, A. G. et al. 2001, The MESSENGER mission to Mercury: spacecraft and mission design Planet. Space Sci., 49, 1481–1500CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Schaefer, B. E. 2007, The Latitude and Epoch for the Origin of the Astronomical Lore in MUL.APIN, American Astronomical Society Meeting 210, #42.05 Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 38, p.157Google Scholar
Schulz, R. & Benkhoff, J. 2006, BepiColombo: Payload and mission updates, Adv. Space Res., 38, 572–577CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Slade, M. A., Butler, B. J., & Muhleman, D. O. 1992, Mercury Radar Imaging: Evidence for Polar Ice Science, 258, no. 5082CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Slavin, J. A., Acuña, M. H., Anderson, B. J., Baker, D. N., Benna, M., Gloeckler, G., Gold, R. E., Ho, G. C., Killen, R. M., Korth, H., Krimigis, S. M., McNutt, R. L. Jr, Nittler, L. R., Raines, J. M., Schriver, D., Solomon, S. C., Starr, R. D., Trávníček, P., & Zurbuchen, T. H. 2008, Mercury's Magnetosphere After MESSENGER's First Flyby Science, 85-89CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Slavin, J. A., Acuña, M. H., Anderson, B. J., Baker, D. N., Benna, M., Boardsen, S. A., Gloeckler, G., Gold, R. E., Ho, G. C., Korth, H., Krimigis, S. M., McNutt, R. L. Jr, Raines, J. M., Sarantos, M., Schriver, D., Solomon, S. C., Trávnícek, P., & Zurbuchen, T. H. 2009, MESSENGER Observations of Magnetic Reconnection in Mercury's Magnetosphere Science, 606-610CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Slavin, J. A., Anderson, B. J., Baker, D. N., Benna, M., Boardsen, S. A., Gloeckler, G., Gold, R. E., Ho, G. C., Korth, H., Krimigis, S. M., McNutt, R. L. Jr, Nittler, L. R., Raines, J. M., Sarantos, M., Schriver, D., Solomon, S. C., Starr, R. D., Trávnícek, P., & Zurbuchen, T. H. 2010, MESSENGER Observations of Extreme Loading and Unloading of Mercury's Magnetic Tail, Science, 329, 665–668CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Strom, R. 1987, The Elusive Planet, Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C., 197 p.Google Scholar
Thompson, J. H. 1963, Planetary Radar, Quarterly Journal of the Royal Astronomical Society Vol 4, 347Google Scholar
Van Helden, A. 1976, The Importance of the Transit of Mercury of 1631 Journal for the History of Astronomy 7, 1–10CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Vervack, R. J., McClintock, W. E., Killen, R. M., Sprague, A. L., Anderson, B. J., Burger, M. H., Bradley, E. T., Mouawad, N., Solomon, S. C., & Izenberg, N. R. 2010, Mercury's Complex Exosphere: Results from MESSENGER's Third Flyby Science, 329, 672–675CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Watters, T. R., Head, J. W., Solomon, S. C., Robinson, M. S., Chapman, C. R., Denevi, B. W., Fassett, C. I., Murchie, S. L., & Strom, R. G. 2009, Evolution of the Rembrandt Impact on Mercury Science 618-621CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Yen, C.-W. 1985, Ballistic Mercury orbiter mission via Venus and Mercury gravity assists, AAS/AIAA Astrodynamics Specialist Conference AIAA 83-346, San Diego, CAGoogle Scholar
Yen, C.-W. 1989, Ballistic Mercury orbiter mission via Venus and Mercury gravity assists J. Astronaut. Sci. 37 417–432Google Scholar
Zuber, M. T., Smith, D. E., Solomon, S. C., Philips, R. J., Peale, S. J., Head, J. W. III, Hauck, S. A., McNutt, R. L. Jr, Oberst, J., Neumann, G. A., Lemoine, F. G., Sun, X., Barnouin-Jha, O., & Harmon, J. K. 2008, Laser Altimeter Observations from MESSENGER's First Mercury Flyby Science 77-79CrossRefGoogle Scholar