Download Moon and Mercury non-mafic silicate composition

Other Planet Science Concept Information Sheet
Break-out: Other
Form completed by: Karl Hibbitts
Concept title (ID) : Moon and Mercury non-mafic silicate composition (2)
Description of the potential science / science goals:
Map the highland composition across the moon, positively ID the surface silicate/oxide minerals on
Mercury.
Relevance of the science (Why is this important?) What are the specific Decadal ties?
Understanding the early history and evolution of the lunar and Mercury interior and especially
development of crust requires detailed knowledge of the chemistry and mineralogy of the surface rocks.
Past missions have left significant gaps in our understanding that could be filled by balloon based
spectral observations.
From decadel survey: SCIENCE GOALS FOR THE STUDY OF MERCURY, VENUS, AND THE MOON " a.
Understand the origin and diversity of terrestrial planets.” “" a.1. Characterize planetary surfaces to
understand how they are modified by geologic processes.” " a.2.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?
7-11 microns @ 20nm 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: 1m
microns
Telescope focal length:
Wavelengths: 7-11
Pointing precision: 1 arcsec
Required time on target: several days for Moon to enable
mapping. One hour for Mercury for single pixel spectral characterization.
Are there other ways to achieve this science, and if so, why would a balloon platform be preferable?
Current missions do not address fully these issues. Future missions would provide higher spatial
resolution and better characterization of surface rock units but would require an expensive mission.
Balloon observations could significantly improve our understanding at low total cost. Measurements are
not possible from Earth’s surface due to the spectral range.
SOFIA has worse spatial resolution and cannot point to Mercury.
What are the potential observation targets?
Moon, Mercury
What planetary science disciplines would this involve?
Cosmochemistry, PG&G
Point of contact for follow-on questions (Name and contact info)
Karl Hibbitts, APL