Engineering topics

Lichtenegger, H.

Publications and source records attributed to Lichtenegger, H..

5 records

DOE OSTI2022

Inner southern magnetosphere observation of Mercury via SERENA ion sensors in BepiColombo mission

Mercury’s southern inner magnetosphere is an unexplored region as it was not observed by earlier space missions. In October 2021, BepiColombo mission has passed through this region during its first Mercury flyby. Here, we describe the observations of SERENA ion sensors nearby and inside Mercury’s magnetosphere. An intermittent high-energy signal, possibly due to an interplanetary magnetic flux rope, has been observed downstream Mercury, together with low energy solar wind. Low energy ions, possibly due to satellite outgassing, were detected outside the magnetosphere. The dayside magnetopause and bow-shock crossing were much closer to the planet than expected, signature of a highly eroded magnetosphere. Different ion populations have been observed inside the magnetosphere, like low latitude boundary layer at magnetopause inbound and partial ring current at dawn close to the planet. These observations are important for understanding the weak magnetosphere behavior so close to the Sun, revealing details never reached before.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2021

SERENA: Particle Instrument Suite for Determining the Sun-Mercury Interaction from BepiColombo

The ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission to Mercury will provide simultaneous measurements from two spacecraft, offering an unprecedented opportunity to investigate magnetospheric and exospheric particle dynamics at Mercury as well as their interactions with solar wind, solar radiation, and interplanetary dust. The particle instrument suite SERENA (Search for Exospheric Refilling and Emitted Natural Abundances) is flying in space on-board the BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and is the only instrument for ion and neutral particle detection aboard the MPO. It comprises four independent sensors: ELENA for neutral particle flow detection, Strofio for neutral gas detection, PICAM for planetary ions observations, and MIPA, mostly for solar wind ion measurements. SERENA is managed by a System Control Unit located inside the ELENA box. In the present paper the scientific goals of this suite are described, and then the four units are detailed, as well as their major features and calibration results. Finally, the SERENA operational activities are shown during the orbital path around Mercury, with also some reference to the activities planned during the long cruise phase.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

DOE OSTI2020

Investigating Mercury’s Environment with the Two-Spacecraft BepiColombo Mission

The ESA-JAXA BepiColombo mission will provide simultaneous measurements from two spacecraft, offering an unprecedented opportunity to investigate magnetospheric and exospheric dynamics at Mercury as well as their interactions with the solar wind, radiation, and interplanetary dust. Many scientific instruments onboard the two spacecraft will be completely, or partially devoted to study the near-space environment of Mercury as well as the complex processes that govern it. Many issues remain unsolved even after the MESSENGER mission that ended in 2015. The specific orbits of the two spacecraft, MPO and Mio, and the comprehensive scientific payload allow a wider range of scientific questions to be addressed than those that could be achieved by the individual instruments acting alone, or by previous missions. These joint observations are of key importance because many phenomena in Mercury’s environment are highly temporally and spatially variable. Finally, examples of possible coordinated observations are described in this article, analysing the required geometrical conditions, pointing, resolutions and operation timing of different BepiColombo instruments sensors.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

NASA NTRS1991

Interplanetary magnetic field control of the Mars bow shock - Evidence for Venuslike interaction

The Mars bow shock location and shape have been determined by examining the Phobos spacecraft magnetometer data. Observations show that the position of the terminator bow shock varies with interplanetary magnetic field orientation in the same way as at Venus. The shock is farthest from Mars in the direction of the interplanetary electric field, consistent with the idea that mass loading plays an important role in the solar wind interaction with Mars. The shock cross section at the terminator plane is asymmetric and is controlled by the interplanetary magnetic field. The shock is farther from Mars during solar maximum. Thus the solar wind interaction with Mars appears to be Venuslike, with a magnetic moment too small to affect significantly the solar wind interaction.

Zhang, T. L.↗

NASA NTRS1990

Martian bow shock - Phobos observations

Data obtained with the Magma magnetometer on the subsolar passes of the Phobos spacecraft during its 3 elliptic orbits reveals a turbulent bow shock with a strong foot consistent with the reflection of solar wind protons. The bow shock lies at a subsolar distance of 1.47 + or - .03 R(M). The circular orbit phase of the mission reveals a bow shock with a highly varying location. The median terminator crossing lies at 2.72 Mars radii. The location of the bow shock in the terminator plane is sensitive to neither the EUV flux nor to planetary longitude.

Schwingenschuh, K.↗