Laser Altimeter Observations from MESSENGER’s First Mercury Flyby

Zuber, M. T. and Smith, D. E. and Solomon, S. C. and Phillips, R. J. and Peale, S. J. and Head, J. W. and Hauck, S. A. and McNutt Jr, R. L. and Oberst, J. and Neumann, G. A. and Lemoine, F. G. and Sun, X. and Barnouin-Jha, O. and Harmon, J. K. (2008) Laser Altimeter Observations from MESSENGER’s First Mercury Flyby. Science, 321 (77), pp. 77-79. American Association for the Advancement of Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.1159086. ISSN ISSN 0036-8075.

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Official URL: http://www.sciencemag.org

Abstract

A 3200-kilometers-long profile of Mercury by the Mercury Laser Altimeter on the MESSENGER spacecraft spans ~20% of the near-equatorial region of the planet. Topography along the profile is characterized by a 5.2-kilometer dynamic range and 930-meter root-mean-square roughness. At long wavelengths, topography slopes eastward by 0.02°, implying a variation of equatorial shape that is at least partially compensated. Sampled craters on Mercury are shallower than their counterparts on the Moon, at least in part the result of Mercury’s higher gravity. Crater floors vary in roughness and slope, implying complex modification over a range of length scales.

Document Type:

Article

Title:

Laser Altimeter Observations from MESSENGER’s First Mercury Flyby

Authors:

Authors	Institution or Email of Authors
Zuber, M. T.	zuber@mit.edu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139–4307, USA
Smith, D. E.	NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
Solomon, S. C.	Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, USA
Phillips, R. J.	Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA
Peale, S. J.	University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
Head, J. W.	Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
Hauck, S. A.	Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA
McNutt Jr, R. L.	Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
Oberst, J.	German Aerospace Center (DLR), Berlin, D-12489 Germany
Neumann, G. A.	NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
Lemoine, F. G.	NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
Sun, X.	NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA
Barnouin-Jha, O.	Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA
Harmon, J. K.	Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo 00612, Puerto Rico

Date:

July 2008

Journal or Publication Title:

Science

Refereed publication:

Yes

In Open Access:

In ISI Web of Science:

Yes

Volume:

321

DOI:

10.1126/science.1159086

Page Range:

pp. 77-79

Publisher:

American Association for the Advancement of Science

ISSN:

ISSN 0036-8075

Status:

Published

Keywords:

Mercury, Laser Altimeter, Messenger, topography

HGF - Research field:

Aeronautics, Space and Transport

HGF - Program:

Space

HGF - Program Themes:

W EW - Erforschung des Weltraums

DLR - Research area:

Space

DLR - Program:

W EW - Erforschung des Weltraums

DLR - Research theme (Project):

W - Vorhaben Planetenforschung (old)

Location:

Berlin-Adlershof

Institutes and Institutions:

Institute of Planetary Research > Planetary Geodesy

Deposited By:

Marita Wählisch

Deposited On:

09 Nov 2009 10:57

Last Modified:

09 Nov 2009 10:57

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