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Science Our MESSENGER to Mercury sends home important data
Science Our MESSENGER to Mercury sends home important data | Our MESSENGER to Mercury sends home important data |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Saturday, 05 July 2008 | |
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Page 2 of 3 When the Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft traveled past Mercury on its mission to explore the characteristics and environment of the planet from its orbit above it, it discovered some of the answers to these questions. Featured Whitepaper
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Science DiscussionsIt also discovered that the origin of its very active magnetic field is from the planet’s core. The researchers found evidence of volcanic vents along the margins of the Caloris basin, one of the solar system's youngest impact basins. They also found that Caloris has a much more complicated geologic history than previously believed. James Head (Brown University), lead author of one of the Science articles stated, "By combining Mariner 10 and MESSENGER data, the science team was able to reconstruct a comprehensive geologic history of the entire Caloris basin interior. The basin was formed from an impact by an asteroid or comet during a period of heavy bombardment in the first billion years of Solar System history. As with the lunar maria, a period of volcanic activity followed, producing lava flows that filled the basin interior. This volcanism is responsible for the comparatively light, red material of the interior plains intermingled with [newer] impact crater deposits." [NASA: “New Discoveries at Mercury”] Please also go to the NASA “New Discoveries at Mercury” website to see dramatic pictures of Mercury taken by MESSENGER. Pictures are also available on websites listed at the end of this article. The magnetic field on Mercury was discovered by the Mariner 10 spacecraft. However, Mercury continued to puzzle scientists because its iron core should have cooled sufficiently over its past and stopped producing magnetism. Nevertheless, MESSENGER found that Mercury does have a global magnetic field and that its source is an active dynamo in its outer core. It is powered by the cooling of the core and is very complex and dynamic. The magnetic field on Mercury is only the second one found on a planet in our solar system. The other one being here on Earth. Brian Anderson (Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory), a lead author in one of the Science articles states, "The fact that it is dipolar [with north and south magnetic poles], and that we did not find the signature shorter-wavelength anomalies that would signify patches of magnetized crust, supports the view that we’re seeing a modern dynamo. We are eager for the October flyby [of MESSENGER] and the year in orbit to see if this is the case elsewhere on the planet and confirm that the field comes from the core." [NASA] The core at the center of Mercury is very large. In fact it is at least twice as large as any other core on any other planet in the solar system. Its core makes up over half of its mass. The cooling of the core on Mercury has produced some interesting features on the surface. Please read on. |
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