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MESSENGER REVEALED THAT MERCURY S HIGHLY CHEMICALLY REDUCED AND UNEXPECTEDLY VOLATILE-RICH COMPOSITION IS UNIQUE AMONG THE TERRESTRIAL PLANETS AND UNLIKE ANY PREDICTIONS OF PREVIOUSLY PROPOSED HYPOTHESES OF THE PLANET S ORIGIN. THESE SURPRISING RESULTS HAVE LED TO A REEXAMINATION OF THE PLANET S FORMATION AND HISTORY. AS AN END-MEMBER OF TERRESTRIAL PLANET FORMATION MERCURY HOLDS UNIQUE CLUES ABOUT THE ORIGINAL DISTRIBUTION OF ELEMENTS IN THE EARLIEST STAGES OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND HOW PLANETS (AND EXOPLANETS) FORM AND EVOLVE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THEIR HOST STARS. IN SITU MEASUREMENTS FROM THE SURFACE ARE NEEDED TO ADDRESS FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE GOALS ABOUT MERCURY S ORIGIN EVOLUTION AND ONGOING PROCESSES. OUR MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCE TEAM HAS IDENTIFIED FOUR MAIN SCIENCE GOALS THAT WILL GUIDE A MISSION CONCEPT STUDY OF A LANDED MISSION TO MERCURY: 1) INVESTIGATE THE HIGHLY CHEMICALLY REDUCED UNEXPECTEDLY VOLATILE-RICH MINERALOGY AND CHEMISTRY OF MERCURY S OLDEST TERRAIN TYPE TO UNDERSTAND THE EARLIEST EVOLUTION OF THIS END-MEMBER OF ROCKY PLANET FORMATION. 2) INVESTIGATE MERCURY S INTERIOR STRUCTURE AND MAGNETIC FIELD TO UNRAVEL THE PLANET'S DIFFERENTIATION AND EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY AND UNDERSTAND THE MAGNETIC FIELDS AT THE SURFACE. 3) INVESTIGATE THE ACTIVE PROCESSES THAT PRODUCE MERCURY S EXOSPHERE AND ALTER ITS SURFACE TO UNDERSTAND PLANETARY PROCESSES ON ROCKY AIRLESS BODIES INCLUDING THE MOON. 4) CHARACTERIZE THE LANDING SITE IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE PROCESSES THAT HAVE SHAPED ITS EVOLUTION PLACE THE IN SITU MEASUREMENTS IN CONTEXT AND ENABLE GROUND TRUTH FOR GLOBAL INTERPRETATIONS OF MERCURY. WE PLAN FOR A TWO- TO THREE-WEEK EFFORT TO PERFORM A COMPLETE END-TO-END MERCURY LANDER MISSION CONCEPT STUDY. THIS STUDY WILL EXAMINE KEY PAYLOAD AND SPACECRAFT TRADES INCORPORATING TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENTS OVER THE LAST DECADE TO ESTABLISH IF A MERCURY LANDER MISSION IS FEASIBLE AS A NEW FRONTIERS CLASS MISSION AND THEREFORE ABLE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR A NEW FRONTIERS CANDIDATE MISSION LIST BY THE 2023 DECADAL SURVEY. A DECADE IS NEEDED TO GO FROM PROJECT START TO LANDING ON MERCURY INCLUDING A CRUISE COMPARABLE IN DURATION TO AN OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM MISSION. PERFORMING A HIGH-FIDELITY MERCURY LANDER MISSION CONCEPT STUDY NOW ENABLES PROPER CONSIDERATION BY THE 2023 DECADAL SURVEY WHILE THE LONG LEAD TIME STILL ALLOWS A FUTURE PROPOSAL TEAM TO ADAPT TO BEPICOLOMBO S ORBITAL FINDINGS. POSTPONING A STUDY UNTIL THE 2030S WOULD BREAK THE CONTINUITY OF MERCURY EXPLORATION AND LEAD TO A MULTI-DECADE GAP BETWEEN SPACECRAFT VISITS TO THE PLANET. THE ACTIVE AND ENGAGED MERCURY COMMUNITY IS READY TO BUILD UPON THE LEGACY OF MESSENGER AND THE FORTHCOMING INVESTIGATION BY BEPICOLOMBO TO ADDRESS THE NEXT STAGE OF MERCURY EXPLORATION BY DEFINING THE FRAMEWORK FOR THE FIRST LANDED MISSION TO THE INNERMOST PLANET.

$119,959FY2020National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationNASA

The Johns Hopkins University

Investigators

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MESSENGER REVEALED THAT MERCURY S HIGHLY CHEMICALLY REDUCED AND UNEXPECTEDLY VOLATILE-RICH COMPOSITION IS UNIQUE AMONG THE TERRESTRIAL PLANETS AND UNLIKE ANY PREDICTIONS OF PREVIOUSLY PROPOSED HYPOTHESES OF THE PLANET S ORIGIN. THESE SURPRISING RESULTS HAVE LED TO A REEXAMINATION OF THE PLANET S FORMATION AND HISTORY. AS AN END-MEMBER OF TERRESTRIAL PLANET FORMATION MERCURY HOLDS UNIQUE CLUES ABOUT THE ORIGINAL DISTRIBUTION OF ELEMENTS IN THE EARLIEST STAGES OF THE SOLAR SYSTEM AND HOW PLANETS (AND EXOPLANETS) FORM AND EVOLVE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO THEIR HOST STARS. IN SITU MEASUREMENTS FROM THE SURFACE ARE NEEDED TO ADDRESS FUNDAMENTAL SCIENCE GOALS ABOUT MERCURY S ORIGIN EVOLUTION AND ONGOING PROCESSES. OUR MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCE TEAM HAS IDENTIFIED FOUR MAIN SCIENCE GOALS THAT WILL GUIDE A MISSION CONCEPT STUDY OF A LANDED MISSION TO MERCURY: 1) INVESTIGATE THE HIGHLY CHEMICALLY REDUCED UNEXPECTEDLY VOLATILE-RICH MINERALOGY AND CHEMISTRY OF MERCURY S OLDEST TERRAIN TYPE TO UNDERSTAND THE EARLIEST EVOLUTION OF THIS END-MEMBER OF ROCKY PLANET FORMATION. 2) INVESTIGATE MERCURY S INTERIOR STRUCTURE AND MAGNETIC FIELD TO UNRAVEL THE PLANET'S DIFFERENTIATION AND EVOLUTIONARY HISTORY AND UNDERSTAND THE MAGNETIC FIELDS AT THE SURFACE. 3) INVESTIGATE THE ACTIVE PROCESSES THAT PRODUCE MERCURY S EXOSPHERE AND ALTER ITS SURFACE TO UNDERSTAND PLANETARY PROCESSES ON ROCKY AIRLESS BODIES INCLUDING THE MOON. 4) CHARACTERIZE THE LANDING SITE IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND THE PROCESSES THAT HAVE SHAPED ITS EVOLUTION PLACE THE IN SITU MEASUREMENTS IN CONTEXT AND ENABLE GROUND TRUTH FOR GLOBAL INTERPRETATIONS OF MERCURY. WE PLAN FOR A TWO- TO THREE-WEEK EFFORT TO PERFORM A COMPLETE END-TO-END MERCURY LANDER MISSION CONCEPT STUDY. THIS STUDY WILL EXAMINE KEY PAYLOAD AND SPACECRAFT TRADES INCORPORATING TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENTS OVER THE LAST DECADE TO ESTABLISH IF A MERCURY LANDER MISSION IS FEASIBLE AS A NEW FRONTIERS CLASS MISSION AND THEREFORE ABLE TO BE CONSIDERED FOR A NEW FRONTIERS CANDIDATE MISSION LIST BY THE 2023 DECADAL SURVEY. A DECADE IS NEEDED TO GO FROM PROJECT START TO LANDING ON MERCURY INCLUDING A CRUISE COMPARABLE IN DURATION TO AN OUTER SOLAR SYSTEM MISSION. PERFORMING A HIGH-FIDELITY MERCURY LANDER MISSION CONCEPT STUDY NOW ENABLES PROPER CONSIDERATION BY THE 2023 DECADAL SURVEY WHILE THE LONG LEAD TIME STILL ALLOWS A FUTURE PROPOSAL TEAM TO ADAPT TO BEPICOLOMBO S ORBITAL FINDINGS. POSTPONING A STUDY UNTIL THE 2030S WOULD BREAK THE CONTINUITY OF MERCURY EXPLORATION AND LEAD TO A MULTI-DECADE GAP BETWEEN SPACECRAFT VISITS TO THE PLANET. THE ACTIVE AND ENGAGED MERCURY COMMUNITY IS READY TO BUILD UPON THE LEGACY OF MESSENGER AND THE FORTHCOMING INVESTIGATION BY BEPICOLOMBO TO ADDRESS THE NEXT STAGE OF MERCURY EXPLORATION BY DEFINING THE FRAMEWORK FOR THE FIRST LANDED MISSION TO THE INNERMOST PLANET. · GrantIndex