Download Temporal and Special Variance of chemical species in the

Other Planet Science Concept Information Sheet
Break-out: Other
Form completed by: R. Barry
Concept title (ID): Temporal and Special Variance of chemical species in the exospheres of Mercury and
secondarily the Moon
Description of the potential science / science goals:
Observation of integrated light across moon and Mercury with observation of Mercury magnetotail.
Determination of exosphere composition to include, especially, atomic lines (sodium, potassium, calcium,
hydrogen…). Daytime observations from Antarctica. Synoptic observation from NUV (2800 to NIR
8000angstroms). Characterize Mg, K, Ca, others as well as possibly Fe and Al. Variations can occur in
minutes to hours. Constant staring is of use.
Relevance of the science (Why is this important?) What are the specific Decadal ties?
Understanding of solar wind interactions with planetary surfaces; for Mercury, complementary to
MESSENGER and potential future BEPI COLUMBO missions, especially if synchronous measurements are
possible.
Fundamental objectives associated with the decadal survey goal of understanding the origin and
diversity of terrestrial planets include the following: " Constrain the bulk composition of the terrestrial
planets to understand their formation from the solar nebula and controls on their subsequent evolution;
which can be addressed by the science question: " What are the proportions and compositions of the
major components (e.g., crust, mantle, core, atmosphere/exosphere) of the inner planets?
What measurements are required to achieve the science?
High spectral resolution imaging from 2800 to 8000 angstroms. 0.5 nm resolution.
What are the driving requirements to achieve the measurements? (E.g. time on target, frequency of
observations, aperture, focal length, wavelengths, pointing precision and stability, specific observing location(s),
critical observation time(s), are repeat flights required? or whatever else that may drive the hardware or mission
design/architecture).
Telescope aperture: 1 m
Telescope focal length:
Wavelengths: vis to uv
Pointing precision: 1”
Required time on target: minutes for the observation, repeated hours, and day timescales. Total
mission time: days to weeks.
Are there other ways to achieve this science, and if so, why would a balloon platform be preferable?
Need to achieve measurements above the ozone in earth atmosphere. Also, excellent photometry and
seeing enables high spatial resolution observations. SOFIA cannot observe Mercury at this time
What are the potential observation targets?
Mercury and secondarily the Moon; same mission could target both.
What planetary science disciplines would this involve?
PGG; Magneto /Ionospheric physics
Point of contact for follow-on questions (Name and contact info)
[email protected]