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NASA NTRS2020

Recommended Laboratory and Field Studies ahead of Future Mercury Exploration

Data from Mariner 10, MESSENGER, and ground-based telescopic observations have facilitated great advancements towards understanding the geochemistry, geology, internal structure, and space environment (exosphere/magnetosphere) of Mercury. Future exploration efforts by BepiColombo, landed science, and sample return will revolutionize our understanding of this planet. However, to enhance the scientific return of past, present, and future data collection at Mercury, it is imperative that laboratory and field-based studies be conducted over the next decade. This white paper gives examples of laboratory and field studies, including instrument testing, which should take place over the next decade to facilitate the interpretation of data and preparation of future missions to the inner-most planet. By no means are the topics in this paper exhaustive, but rather are meant to demonstrate the immense amount of work that needs to be completed ahead of, or in conjunction with, current and future exploration efforts of Mercury. This work would amplify the benefits from additional data obtained from the planet’s surface to the fullest extent possible, and to aid in decision making of future instrument payloads. We have chosen to focus our inputs here on geochemistry, geology, and space environment related efforts, but we emphasize that extensive research in the areas of geophysics and other geosciences-related disciplines will benefit from additional studies.

Kathleen E. Vander Kaaden↗

NASA NTRS1977

Geology orbiter comparison study

Instrument requirements of planetary geology orbiters were examined with the objective of determining the feasibility of applying standard instrument designs to a host of terrestrial targets. Within the basic discipline area of geochemistry, gamma-ray, X-ray fluorescence, and atomic spectroscopy remote sensing techniques were considered. Within the discipline area of geophysics, the complementary techniques of gravimetry and radar were studied. Experiments using these techniques were analyzed for comparison at the Moon, Mercury, Mars and the Galilean satellites. On the basis of these comparative assessments, the adaptability of each sensing technique was judged as a basic technique for many targets, as a single instrument applied to many targets, as a single instrument used in different mission modes, and as an instrument capability for nongeoscience objectives.

Cutts, J. A. J.↗

NASA NTRS1991

U.S. National Report to International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics 1987-1990; Proceedings of the IUGG General Assembly, 20th, Vienna, Austria, Aug. 11-24, 1991

An authoritative record of contributions of geophysical research in the U.S. during 1987-1990 is reported. Major areas of research include atmospheric sciences, geodesy, hydrology, planetology, geomagnetism, paleomagnetism, volcanology, geochemistry, petrology, oceanography, seismology, tectonophysics, and solar-planetary relations.

Shea, Margaret A.↗

NASA NTRS1999

The Next Decade of Mars Exploration

Following a 20-year hiatus in missions to Mars, the planet has again become a focus of planetary research for space-faring nations. NASA and space agencies worldwide are returning to Mars with scientific research and public engagement sharing top priority. Collectively, the work to be performed within a decade will address much of the research associated with planetary evolution, past and present climates, and astrobiology. NASA's science goals are centered on the study of potential habitats - past and present environments that may have been suitable for the origin of life. These goals are approached through in situ measurements and through sample return. CNES has teamed with NASA to return samples, while also extending the research base by adding geophysical measurements via a network of landers. ASI has joined NASA and CNES by providing a drill to access the near sub-surface. ESA will fly an orbiter and, potentially, a lander to Mars with the goal of addressing mineralogy, geochemistry, geology, and biology. ISAS will study the planet's aeronomy using an orbiter. Many other nations are contributors to these programs of exploration. The desire for national participation, presence on the Martian surface and, most importantly, samples to analyze motivate all nations involved. So important is public engagement that NASA and CNES will launch a network of communication satellites to improve public participation and enhance scientific data return. Further, NASA is currently preparing a Mars airplane that will undoubtedly engage the public's imagination. Additional research investigations will be sought; particularly those able to utilize small spacecraft on and above the surface. A recently announced NASA/CNES series of MicroMissions offers a means of pursuing discoveries, scouting potential landing sites for sample return, and further broadening the scope of scientific research. The timing for these opportunities will be presented.

McCleese, D. J.↗

NASA NTRS1982

The record of impact on earth - Implications for a major Cretaceous/Tertiary impact event

Cratering mechanics suggests that if the proposed Cretaceous-Tertiary impact event occurred in the ocean, it may have been able to locally excavate the oceanic crust and bring upper mantle material to the surface, thereby creating a geophysical anomaly that has yet to be detected. If the siderophile enrichments in the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary layer denote projectile-contaminated ejecta from a major impact, the source of this material will probably be ejecta which had been accelerated upwards as the projectile penetrated the target rocks. The difficulties in defining projectile types from the siderophile anomalies in the relatively well known environment of impact melt rocks suggest that more detailed geochemistry and mineralogy will be needed before the siderophile enrichments at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary can be linked to a specific meteoritic compositional class.

Grieve, R. A. F.↗

NASA NTRS2009

Proceedings of the 40th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference

The 40th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference included sessions on: Phoenix: Exploration of the Martian Arctic; Origin and Early Evolution of the Moon; Comet Wild 2: Mineralogy and More; Astrobiology: Meteorites, Microbes, Hydrous Habitats, and Irradiated Ices; Phoenix: Soil, Chemistry, and Habitability; Planetary Differentiation; Presolar Grains: Structures and Origins; SPECIAL SESSION: Venus Atmosphere: Venus Express and Future Missions; Mars Polar Caps: Past and Present; SPECIAL SESSION: Lunar Missions: Results from Kaguya, Chang'e-1, and Chandrayaan-1, Part I; 5 Early Nebula Processes and Models; SPECIAL SESSION: Icy Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn: Cosmic Gymnasts; Mars: Ground Ice and Climate Change; SPECIAL SESSION: Lunar Missions: Results from Kaguya, Chang'e-1, and Chandrayaan-1, Part II; Chondrite Parent-Body Processes; SPECIAL SESSION: Icy Satellites of Jupiter and Saturn: Salubrious Surfaces; SNC Meteorites; Ancient Martian Crust: Primary Mineralogy and Aqueous Alteration; SPECIAL SESSION: Messenger at Mercury: A Global Perspective on the Innermost Planet; CAIs and Chondrules: Records of Early Solar System Processes; Small Bodies: Shapes of Things to Come; Sulfur on Mars: Rocks, Soils, and Cycling Processes; Mercury: Evolution and Tectonics; Venus Geology, Volcanism, Tectonics, and Resurfacing; Asteroid-Meteorite Connections; Impacts I: Models and Experiments; Solar Wind and Genesis: Measurements and Interpretation; Mars: Aqueous Processes; Magmatic Volatiles and Eruptive Conditions of Lunar Basalts; Comparative Planetology; Interstellar Matter: Origins and Relationships; Impacts II: Craters and Ejecta Mars: Tectonics and Dynamics; Mars Analogs I: Geological; Exploring the Diversity of Lunar Lithologies with Sample Analyses and Remote Sensing; Chondrite Accretion and Early History; Science Instruments for the Mars Science Lander; . Martian Gullies: Morphology and Origins; Mars: Dunes, Dust, and Wind; Mars: Volcanism; Early Solar System Chronology; Seek Out and Explore: Upcoming and Future Missions; Mars: Early History and Impact Processes; Mars Analogs II: Chemical and Spectral; Achondrites and their Parent Bodies; and Planning for Future Exploration of the Moon The poster sessions were: Lunar Missions: Results from Kaguya, Chang'e-1, and Chandrayaan-1; LRO and LCROSS; Geophysical Analysis of the Lunar Surface and Interior; Remote Observation and Geologic Mapping of the Lunar Surface; Lunar Spectroscopy; Venus Geology, Geophysics, Mapping, and Sampling; Planetary Differentiation; Bunburra and Buzzard Coulee: Recent Meteorite Falls; Meteorites: Terrestrial History; CAIs and Chondrules: Records of Early Solar System Processes; Volatile and Organic Compounds in Chondrites; Crashing Chondrites: Impact, Shock, and Melting; Ureilite Studies; Petrology and Mineralogy of the SNC Meteorites; Martian Meteorites; Phoenix Landing Site: Perchlorate and Other Tasty Treats; Mars Polar Atmospheres and Climate Modeling; Mars Polar Investigations; Mars Near-Surface Ice; Mars: A Volatile-Rich Planet; Mars: Geochemistry and Alteration Processes; Martian Phyllosilicates: Identification, Formation, and Alteration; Astrobiology; Instrument Concepts, Systems, and Probes for Investigating Rocks and Regolith; Seeing is Believing: UV, VIS, IR, X- and Gamma-Ray Camera and Spectrometer Instruments; Up Close and Personal: In Situ Analysis with Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry; Jupiter and Inscrutable Io; Tantalizing Titan; Enigmatic Enceladus and Intriguing Iapetus; Icy Satellites: Cryptic Craters; Icy Satellites: Gelid Geology/Geophysics; Icy Satellites: Cool Chemistry and Spectacular Spectroscopy; Asteroids and Comets; Comet Wild 2: Mineralogy and More; Hypervelocity Impacts: Stardust Models, LDEF, and ISPE; Presolar Grains; Early Nebular Processes: Models and Isotopes; Solar Wind and Genesis: Measurements and Interpretation; Education and Public Outreach; Mercury; Pursuing Lunar Exploration; Sources and Eruptionf Lunar Basalts; Chemical and Physical Properties of the Lunar Regolith; Lunar Dust and Transient Surface Phenomena; Lunar Databases and Data Restoration; Meteoritic Samples of the Moon; Chondrites, Their Clasts, and Alteration; Achondrites: Primitive and Not So Primitive; Iron Meteorites; Meteorite Methodology; Antarctic Micrometeorites; HEDs and Vesta; Dust Formation and Transformation; Interstellar Organic Matter; Early Solar System Chronology; Comparative Planetology; Impacts I: Models and Experiments; Impacts II: Craters and Ejecta; Mars: Volcanism; Mars: Tectonics and Dynamics; Martian Stratigraphy: Understanding the Geologic History of Mars Through the Sedimentary Rock Record; Mars: Valleys and Valley Networks; Mars: Aqueous Processes in Valles Marineris and the Southern Highlands; Mars: Aqueous Geomorphology; Martian Gullies: Morphology and Origins; Mars: Dunes, Dust, and Wind; Mars: Remote Sensing; Mars: Geologic Mapping, Photogrammetry, and Cratering; Martian Mineralogy: Constraints from Missions and Laboratory Investigations; Mars Analogs: Chemical and Physical; Mars Analogs: Sulfates and Sulfides; Missions: Approaches, Architectures, Analogs, and Actualities; Not Just Skin Deep: Electron Microscopy, Heat Flow, Radar, and Seismology Instruments and Planetary Data Systems, Techniques, and Interpretation.

Source record↗

NASA NTRS2005

Lavoisier: A Low Altitude Balloon Network for Probing the Deep Atmosphere and Surface of Venus

The in-situ exploration of the low atmosphere and surface of Venus is clearly the next step of Venus exploration. Understanding the geochemistry of the low atmosphere, interacting with rocks, and the way the integrated Venus system evolved, under the combined effects of inner planet cooling and intense atmospheric greenhouse, is a major challenge of modern planetology. Due to the dense atmosphere (95 bars at the surface), balloon platforms offer an interesting means to transport and land in-situ measurement instruments. Due to the large Archimede force, a 2 cubic meter He-pressurized balloon floating at 10 km altitude may carry up to 60 kg of payload. LAVOISIER is a project submitted to ESA in 2000, in the follow up and spirit of the balloon deployed at cloud level by the Russian Vega mission in 1986. It is composed of a descent probe, for detailed noble gas and atmosphere composition analysis, and of a network of 3 balloons for geochemical and geophysical investigations at local, regional and global scales.

Chaasefiere, E.↗

NASA NTRS2016

Carbon Solubility in Silicon-Iron-Bearing Metals during Core Formation on Mercury

Recent results obtained from the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft showed the surface of Mercury has high S abundances (approximately 4 wt%) and low Iron(II) Oxide abundances (less than 2 wt%). Based on these extreme values, the oxygen fugacity of Mercury's surface materials was estimated to be approximately 3 to 7 log(sub 10) units below the IW buffer (Delta IW-3 to Delta IW-7). This highly reducing nature of the planet has resulted in a large core and relatively thin mantle, extending to only approximately 420 km depth (corresponding to a core-mantle boundary pressure of approximately 4-7 GPa) within the planet. Furthermore, MESSENGER results have suggested the presence of carbon on the surface of the planet. Previous experimental results from have also suggested the possibility of a primary floatation crust on Mercury composed of graphite, produced after a global magma ocean event. With these exotic conditions of this compositional end-member planet, it begs the question, what is the core composition of Mercury? Although no definitive conclusion has been reached, previous studies have made advances towards answering this question. Riner et al. and Chen et al. looked at iron sulfide systems and implemented various crystallization and layered core scenarios to try and determine the composition and structure of Mercury's core. Malavergne et al. examined core crystallization scenarios in the presence of sulfur and silicon. Hauck et al. used the most recent geophysical constraints from the MESSENGER spacecraft to model the internal structure of Mercury, including the core, in a iron-sulfur-silicon system. More recently, Chabot et al. conducted a series of metal-silicate partitioning experiments in a iron-sulfur-silicon system. These results showed the core of Mercury has the potential to contain more than 15 wt% silicon. However, with the newest results from MESSENGER's low altitude campaign, carbon is another potential light element that could be incorporated into Mercury's core. The goal of this study is to determine the carbon concentration at graphite saturation in various silicon-iron bearing metals relevant to possible mercurian core compositions. Future experiments will include the addition of sulfur into these metals.

Vander Kaaden, Kathleen E.↗