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1.
Solar tidal forces generate elevation changes of Mercury's surface of the order 1 m within one Hermean year, and solar torques on the non-symmetric permanent mass distribution of the planet cause an uneven rotation of Mercury's surface with a libration amplitude of the order of 40 arcsec. Knowledge of the precise reaction of the planet to tidal forcing, expressed by the Love numbers h2 and k2, as well as accurate knowledge of the amplitude of forced libration Φlib, puts constraints on the internal structure, for example the state and the size of the core. The MESSENGER and BepiColombo missions to Mercury carry laser altimeters, whose primary goal is to accurately map the topography. Here we investigate if the Love number h2 and the amplitude of forced libration can be determined together with the static topography of the planet from a global altimetry record. We do this by creating synthetic altimeter data for the nominal orbit of BepiColombo over the nominal mission duration of approximately four Mercury years and inverting them for the static and time-dependent parts of the topography. We assume purely Gaussian noise. We find that it is possible to extract both parameters h2 and Φlib with an accuracy of approximately 10%, while the static topography coefficients of a spherical harmonic expansion can be determined simultaneously with an accuracy at the centimetre level. Extraction of the static topography to higher harmonic degrees improves the precision of the measurement of h2 and Φlib. The simulation results demonstrate that it seems feasible to test current models on Mercury's interior with sufficient precision using BepiColombo Laser Altimeter data.  相似文献   

2.
E. Bois  N. Rambaux   《Icarus》2007,192(2):308-317
Mercury's capture into the 3:2 spin–orbit resonance can be explained as a result of its chaotic orbital dynamics. One major objective of MESSENGER and BepiColombo spatial missions is to accurately measure Mercury's rotation and its obliquity in order to obtain constraints on internal structure of the planet. Analytical approaches at the first-order level using the Cassini state assumptions give the obliquity constant or quasi-constant. Which is the obliquity's dynamical behavior deriving from a complete spin–orbit motion of Mercury simultaneously integrated with planetary interactions? We have used our SONYR model (acronym of Spin–Orbit N-bodY Relativistic model) integrating the spin–orbit N-body problem applied to the Solar System (Sun and planets). For lack of current accurate observations or ephemerides of Mercury's rotation, and therefore for lack of valid initial conditions for a numerical integration, we have built an original method for finding the libration center of the spin–orbit system and, as a consequence, for avoiding arbitrary amplitudes in librations of the spin–orbit motion as well as in Mercury's obliquity. The method has been carried out in two cases: (1) the spin–orbit motion of Mercury in the 2-body problem case (Sun–Mercury) where an uniform precession of the Keplerian orbital plane is kinematically added at a fixed inclination (S2K case), (2) the spin–orbit motion of Mercury in the N-body problem case (Sun and planets) (Sn case). We find that the remaining amplitude of the oscillations in the Sn case is one order of magnitude larger than in the S2K case, namely 4 versus 0.4 arcseconds (peak-to-peak). The mean obliquity is also larger, namely 1.98 versus 1.80 arcminutes, for a difference of 10.8 arcseconds. These theoretical results are in a good agreement with recent radar observations but it is not excluded that it should be possible to push farther the convergence process by drawing nearer still more precisely to the libration center. We note that the dynamically driven spin precession, which occurs when the planetary interactions are included, is more complex than the purely kinematic case. Nevertheless, in such a N-body problem, we find that the 3:2 spin–orbit resonance is really combined to a synchronism where the spin and orbit poles on average precess at the same rate while the orbit inclination and the spin axis orientation on average decrease at the same rate. As a consequence and whether it would turn out that there exists an irreducible minimum of the oscillation amplitude, quasi-periodic oscillations found in Mercury's obliquity should be to geometrically understood as librations related to these synchronisms that both follow a Cassini state. Whatever the open question on the minimal amplitude in the obliquity's oscillations and in spite of the planetary interactions indirectly acting by the solar torque on Mercury's rotation, Mercury remains therefore in a stable equilibrium state that proceeds from a 2-body Cassini state.  相似文献   

3.
《Planetary and Space Science》2007,55(10):1398-1413
The BepiColombo Laser Altimeter (BELA) has been selected for flight on board the European Space Agency's BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO). The experiment is intended to be Europe's first planetary laser altimeter system. Although the proposed system has similarities to the Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA) currently flying on board NASA's MESSENGER mission to Mercury, the specific orbit and construction of the MPO force the use of novel concepts for BELA. Furthermore, the base-lined range-finding approach is novel. In this paper, we describe the BELA system and show preliminary results from some prototype testing.  相似文献   

4.
The ESA mission BepiColombo will include a Mercury Planetary Orbiter equipped with a full complement of instruments to perform Radio Science Experiments. Very precise range and range-rate tracking from Earth, on-board accelerometry, altimetry and accurate angular measurements with optical instruments will provide large data sets. From these it will be possible to study (1) the global gravity field of Mercury and its temporal variations due to tides, (2) the medium to short scale (down do 300400 km) gravity anomalies, (3) the rotation state of the planet, in particular the obliquity and the libration with respect to the 3/2 spin orbit resonance and (4) the orbit of the center of mass of the planet.With the global gravity field and the rotation state it is possible to tightly constrain the internal structure of the planet, in particular to determine whether the solid surface of the planet is decoupled from the inner core by some liquid layer, as postulated by dynamo theories of Mercury's magnetic field. With the gravity anomalies and altimetry it is possible to study the geophysics of the planet's crust, mantle and impact basins. With the orbit of the planet closest to the Sun it is possible to constrain relativistic theories of gravitation.The possibility of achieving these scientific goals has been tested with a full cycle numerical simulation of the Radio Science Experiments. It includes the generation of simulated tracking and accelerometer data, and the determination, by least squares fit, of a long list of variables including the initial conditions for each observed arc, calibration parameters, gravity field harmonic coefficients, and corrections to the orbit of Mercury. An error budget has been deduced both from the formal covariance matrices and from the actual difference between the nominal values used in the data simulation and the solution. Thus the most complete error budget contains the effect of systematic measurement errors and is by far more reliable than a formal one. For the rotation experiment an error budget has been computed on the basis of dedicated studies on each separate error source.The results of the full cycle simulation are positive, that is the experiments are feasible at the required level of accuracy. However, the extraction of the full accuracy results from the data will be by no means trivial, and there are a number of open problems, both in the data processing (e.g., the selection of the orbital arc length) and in the mission scheduling (e.g., the selection of the target areas for the rotation experiment).  相似文献   

5.
This paper presents a definition study of a laser altimeter for the topographic exploration of Mercury. The reference scenario is the BepiColombo mission, a cornerstone mission of European Space Agency (ESA) planned for 2012. BepiColombo will offer the chance to make a remarkable new contribution to our knowledge of the Solar System, by venturing into the hot region near the Sun and exploring Mercury, the most enigmatic of the earth's sisters among the terrestrial planets. First images of Mercury surface were acquired by Mariner 10 in 1974 and 1975 offering a coverage and resolution comparable to Earth-based telescopic coverage of the Moon before spaceflight. BepiColombo mission can be very beneficial by using an optical rangefinder for Mercury exploration. In fact starting from the first missions in 1970s until today, laser altimeters have been demonstrating to be particularly appropriate as part of the scientific payload whenever the topography of earth, lunar and planetary surface is the scientific objective of a space mission.Our system design is compliant to Mercury Polar Orbiter (MPO) of the mission. System performance analysis is carried out simulating main hermean topographic features and the potential targets on the planet by means of analytical models and computer codes and several plot are presented to analyse the performance of the instrument.  相似文献   

6.
Mercury has a near-zero obliquity, i.e. its spin axis is nearly perpendicular to its orbital plane. The value of the obliquity must be known precisely in order to constrain the size of the planet's core within the framework suggested by Peale [Peale, S.J., 1976. Nature 262, 765-766]. Rambaux and Bois [Rambaux, N., Bois, E., 2004. Astron. Astrophys. 413, 381-393] have suggested that Mercury's obliquity varies on thousand-year timescales due to planetary perturbations, potentially ruining the feasibility of Peale's experiment. We use a Hamiltonian approach (free of energy dissipation) to study the spin-orbit evolution of Mercury subject to secular planetary perturbations. We can reproduce an obliquity evolution similar to that of Rambaux and Bois [Rambaux, N., Bois, E., 2004. Astron. Astrophys. 413, 381-393] if we integrate the system with a set of initial conditions that differs from the Cassini state. However the thousand-year oscillations in the obliquity disappear if we use initial conditions corresponding to the equilibrium position of the Cassini state. This result indicates that planetary perturbations do not force short-period, large amplitude oscillations in the obliquity of Mercury. In the absence of excitation processes on short timescales, Mercury's obliquity will remain quasi-constant, suggesting that one of the important conditions for the success of Peale's experiment is realized. We show that interpretation of data obtained in support of this experiment will require a precise knowledge of the spin-orbit configuration, and we provide estimates for two of the critical parameters, the instantaneous Laplace plane orientation and the orbital precession rate from numerical fits to ephemeris data. Finally we provide geometrical relationships and a scheme for identifying the correct initial conditions required in numerical integrations involving a Cassini state configuration subject to planetary perturbations.  相似文献   

7.
Because of its proximity to the Sun and its small size, Mercury has not been able to retain its atmosphere and only a thin exosphere surrounds the planet. The exospheric pressure at the planetary surface is approximately 10−10 mbar, set by the Mariner 10 occultation experiment. The existence of gaseous species H, He, and O has been established by Mariner 10. In addition Na, K, and Ca have been observed by ground based instrumentation. Other elements are expected to be found in Mercury's exosphere since the total pressure of the known species is almost two orders of magnitude less than the exospheric pressure.It is intended to measure these exospheric particle densities in situ with an instrument on board of ESA's BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) spacecraft. Since the expected exospheric densities are very small we developed a Monte-Carlo computer model to investigate if such a measurement is feasible along the MPO spacecraft orbit. We model energy and ejection angle distributions of the particles at the surface, with the emission process determining the actual distribution functions. Our model follows the trajectory of each particle by numerical integration until the particle hits Mercury's surface again or escapes from the calculation domain. Using a large set of these trajectories bulk parameters of the exospheric gas are derived, e.g., particle densities for various atomic and molecular species. Our study suggests that a mass spectrometric measurement is feasible and, at least at MPO's periherm, all species that are released from the surface will be observed.  相似文献   

8.
Plans to send orbiter missions to Mercury (e.g., NASA's Messenger and ESA's BepiColombo) have prompted renewed efforts to investigate the surface of Mercury using ground-based remote sensing. While the highest resolution instrumentation optical telescopes (e.g. HST) cannot be used at small angular distances (<45°) from the Sun (Mercury's elongation never exceeds 28° seen from Earth), advanced ground-based astronomical techniques and modern processing software can be used to construct resolved images of the poorly known part of Mercury. Our observations of the planet presented here were carried out mainly in April and May, 2002, at evening elongation of the planet, at the Skinakas astrophysical observatory of Heraklion University (Crete, Greece). A synthesis of the acquired images of the hemisphere of Mercury, which was not observed by the Mariner 10 mission (1974-1975), is presented. A double rim basin with an internal diameter of about 1000 km and an external rim about 2000 km is suggested by the data. We present the observational method, the data analysis approach, and the resulting images.  相似文献   

9.
Two space missions dedicated to Mercury (MESSENGER and BepiColombo) aim at understanding its rotation and confirming the existence of a liquid core. This double challenge requires much more accurate models for the spin-orbit resonant rotation of Mercury. The purpose of this paper is to introduce planetary perturbations on Mercury’s rotation using an analytical method and to analyse the influence of the perturbations on the libration in longitude. Applying a perturbation theory based on the Lie triangle, we were able to re-introduce short periodic terms into the averaged Hamiltonian and to compute the evolution of the rotational variables. The perturbations on Mercury’s forced libration in longitude mainly come from the orbital motion of Mercury (with an amplitude around 41 arcsec that depends on the momenta of inertia). It is completed by various effects from Jupiter (11.86 and 5.93 year-periods), Venus (with a 5.66 year-period), Saturn (14.73 year-period), and the Earth (6.58 year-period). The amplitudes of the oscillations due to Jupiter and Venus are approximately 33% and 10% of those from the orbital motion of Mercury and the amplitudes of the oscillations due to Saturn and the Earth are approximately 3% and 2%. We compare the analytical results with the solution obtained from the spin-orbit numerical model SONYR.  相似文献   

10.
S.J. Peale 《Icarus》2005,178(1):4-18
An analysis based on the direct torque equations including tidal dissipation and a viscous core-mantle coupling is used to determine the damping time scales of O(105) years for free precession of the spin about the Cassini state and free libration in longitude for Mercury. The core-mantle coupling dominates the damping over the tides by one to two orders of magnitude for the plausible parameters chosen. The short damping times compared with the age of the Solar System means we must find recent or on-going excitation mechanisms if such free motions are found by the current radar experiments or the future measurement by the MESSENGER and BepiColombo spacecraft that will orbit Mercury. We also show that the average precession rate is increased by about 30% over that obtained from the traditional precession constant because of a spin-orbit resonance induced contribution by the C22 term in the expansion of the gravitational field. The C22 contribution also causes the path of the spin during the precession to be slightly elliptical with a variation in the precession rate that is a maximum when the obliquity is a minimum. An observable free precession will compromise the determination of obliquity of the Cassini state and hence of C/MMR2 for Mercury, but a detected free libration will not compromise the determination of the forced libration amplitude and thus the verification of a liquid core.  相似文献   

11.
In this paper it is derived that the libration of Mercury can be described by where Φ0 is the unknown libration amplitude, M is Mercury's mean anomaly and K=−9.483. Φ0 can be determined by comparing pairs of images of the same landmarks taken by an orbiter at different positions of Mercury. If the angle between the orbit plane of a polar orbiter and Mercury's line of periapsis is between −60° and 60° and if one landmark at the equator is imaged per day with a relative precision of , then the libration amplitude can be determined in two Mercury years (176 days) with an accuracy of or better, which is sufficient to answer the question whether Mercury has a solid or fluid core.  相似文献   

12.
The BepiColombo space mission is one of the European Space Agency's cornerstone projects; it is planned for launch in 2013 to study the planet Mercury. One of the imaging instruments of BepiColombo is a STereo Camera (STC), whose main scientific objective is the global stereo mapping of the entire surface of Mercury. STC will permit the generation of a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) of Mercury's surface, improving the interpretation of morphological features at different scales and clarifying the stratigraphic relationships between different geological units.To evaluate the effectiveness of the STC-derived DTM for geological purposes, a series of simulations has been performed to find out to what extent the errors expected in the DTM may prevent the correct classification and interpretation of geological features. To meet this objective, Earth analogues (a crater, a lava cone and an endogenous dome) of likely components of the Hermean surface, small enough to be near the detection limit of the STC, were selected and a photorealistic three-dimensional (3D) model of each feature was generated using Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) stereo images. Stereoscopic pairs of synthetic images of each feature were then generated from the 3D model at different locations along the BepiColombo orbit. For each stereo pair, the corresponding Hermean DTM was computed using image correlation and compared to the reference data to assess the loss of detail and interpretability. Results show that interpretation and quantitative analysis of simple craters morphologies and small volcanic features should be possible all along the periherm orbit arc. At the apoherm only the larger features can be unequivocally distinguished, but they will be reconstructed to a poor approximation.  相似文献   

13.
S.J. Peale  M. Yseboodt  J.-L. Margot 《Icarus》2007,187(2):365-373
Planetary perturbations of Mercury's orbit lead to forced librations in longitude in addition to the 88-day forced libration induced by Mercury's orbital motion. The forced librations are a combination of many periods, but 5.93 and 5.66 years dominate. These two periods result from the perturbations by Jupiter and Venus respectively, and they lead to a 125-year modulation of the libration amplitude corresponding to the beat frequency. Other periods are also identified with Jupiter and Venus perturbations as well as with those of the Earth, and these and other periods in the perturbations cause several arc second fluctuations in the libration extremes. The maxima of these extremes are about 30″ above and the minima about 7″ above the superposed ∼60″, 88-day libration during the 125-year modulation. Knowledge of the nature of the long-period forced librations is important for the interpretation of the details of Mercury's rotation state to be obtained from radar and spacecraft observations. We show that the measurement of the 88-day libration amplitude for the purposes of determining Mercury's core properties is not compromised by the additional librations, because of the latter's small amplitude and long period. If the free libration in longitude has an amplitude that is large compared with that of the forced libration, its ∼10-year period will dominate the libration spectrum with the 88-day forced libration and the long-period librations from the orbital perturbations superposed. If the free libration has an amplitude that is comparable to those of the long-period forced libration, it will be revealed by erratic amplitude, period and phase on the likely time span of a series of observations. However, a significant free libration component is not expected because of relatively rapid damping.  相似文献   

14.
It is shown that the influences of the thermal and tidal effects on Mercury's libration are in equilibrium with the periods of rotation and revolution of Mercury locked in the 32 resonant state. The suggestion by Liu that the solar gravitational couple on the thermal bulges accelerates Mercury's rotation is investigated and the production of mechanical energy to balance the dissipation of the bodily tides is discussed. It is possible for Mercury to rotate with two bulges as a solar thermal engine; the tidal effect causes this engine to function and its maximum power is close to 1016 ergs per sec.  相似文献   

15.
  相似文献   

16.
Mercury holds answers to several critical questions regarding the formation and evolution of the terrestrial planets. These questions include the origin of Mercury's anomalously high ratio of metal to silicate and its implications for planetary accretion processes, the nature of Mercury's geological evolution and interior cooling history, the mechanism of global magnetic field generation, the state of Mercury's core, and the processes controlling volatile species in Mercury's polar deposits, exosphere, and magnetosphere. The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission has been designed to fly by and orbit Mercury to address all of these key questions. After launch by a Delta 2925H-9.5, two flybys of Venus, and two flybys of Mercury, orbit insertion is accomplished at the third Mercury encounter. The instrument payload includes a dual imaging system for wide and narrow fields-of-view, monochrome and color imaging, and stereo; X-ray and combined gamma-ray and neutron spectrometers for surface chemical mapping; a magnetometer; a laser altimeter; a combined ultraviolet–visible and visible-near-infrared spectrometer to survey both exospheric species and surface mineralogy; and an energetic particle and plasma spectrometer to sample charged species in the magnetosphere. During the flybys of Mercury, regions unexplored by Mariner 10 will be seen for the first time, and new data will be gathered on Mercury's exosphere, magnetosphere, and surface composition. During the orbital phase of the mission, one Earth year in duration, MESSENGER will complete global mapping and the detailed characterization of the exosphere, magnetosphere, surface, and interior.  相似文献   

17.
In this study we discuss the proton circulation and the neutral atom emission at Mercury. The H+ distribution in space, energy and pitch angle has been simulated by means of a single-particle Monte Carlo model. The applied electric and magnetic field model has been parameterized to take into account different boundary conditions such as interplanetary magnetic field and cross-tail potential drop. Particular attention has been paid to the estimation of the surface-sputtered neutral atoms and the energetic neutral atoms generated via charge-exchange process. The peculiar configuration of the hermean magnetosphere, as it is expected after the Mariner-10 observation of a weak magnetic field, allows a significant part of the incoming solar wind to enter Mercury's environment. For the Bz<−10 nT conditions, intense ion fluxes are expected in the cusp regions, which are extremely large when compared to the Earth's ones. The solar wind particles are likely to rapidly leave the hermean magnetosphere or precipitate onto the planetary surface, thus originating neutral particle emission via ion-sputtering. Two instruments, proposed to fly on board ESA mission BepiColombo (namely: the NPA-IS SERENA suite on the MPO segment and the ENA instrument on the MMO segment) will monitor the neutral signal as well as the precipitating ion particles. The modeled distribution presented here may be considered as a reference tool for the future observations.  相似文献   

18.
We describe and compare two methods of short-exposure, high-definition ground-based imaging of the planet Mercury. Two teams have recorded images of Mercury on different dates, from different locations, and with different observational and data reduction techniques. Both groups have achieved spatial resolutions of <250 km, and the same albedo features and contrast levels appear where the two datasets overlap (longitudes 270–360°). Dark albedo regions appear as mare and correlate well with smooth terrain radar signatures. Bright albedo features agree optically, but less well with radar data. Such confirmations of state-of-the-art optical techniques introduce a new era of ground-based exploration of Mercury's surface and its atmosphere. They offer opportunities for synergistic, cooperative observations before and during the upcoming Messenger and BepiColombo missions to Mercury.  相似文献   

19.
We have estimated a preliminary error budget for the Italian Spring Accelerometer (ISA) that will be allocated onboard the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) of the European Space Agency (ESA) space mission to Mercury named BepiColombo. The role of the accelerometer is to remove from the list of unknowns the non-gravitational accelerations that perturb the gravitational trajectory followed by the MPO in the strong radiation environment that characterises the orbit of Mercury around the Sun. Such a role is of fundamental importance in the context of the very ambitious goals of the Radio Science Experiments (RSE) of the BepiColombo mission. We have subdivided the errors on the accelerometer measurements into two main families: (i) the pseudo-sinusoidal errors and (ii) the random errors. The former are characterised by a periodic behaviour with the frequency of the satellite mean anomaly and its higher order harmonic components, i.e., they are deterministic errors. The latter are characterised by an unknown frequency distribution and we assumed for them a noise-like spectrum, i.e., they are stochastic errors. Among the pseudo-sinusoidal errors, the main contribution is due to the effects of the gravity gradients and the inertial forces, while among the random-like errors the main disturbing effect is due to the MPO centre-of-mass displacements produced by the onboard High Gain Antenna (HGA) movements and by the fuel consumption and sloshing. Very subtle to be considered are also the random errors produced by the MPO attitude corrections necessary to guarantee the nadir pointing of the spacecraft. We have therefore formulated the ISA error budget and the requirements for the satellite in order to guarantee an orbit reconstruction for the MPO spacecraft with an along-track accuracy of about 1 m over the orbital period of the satellite around Mercury in such a way to satisfy the RSE requirements.  相似文献   

20.
Among the terrestrial planets, Mercury's composition is characterized by two specific features: a high density and a low surface FeO content. Based on these two constraints, different geochemical models have been proposed, according to different formation scenarios. Here thermodynamical modeling is used to derive the mantle and crust mineralogy associated with these geochemical models. For each mineralogy, the electrical conductivity profile and associated electromagnetic data are computed. Due to the very different oxide/silicate ratios, most geochemical models proposed for Mercury's formation show very different electromagnetic signatures. As a result, future measurements with MESSENGER and BepiColombo missions will help differentiating between different interior models and different formation scenarios.  相似文献   

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