Mission Overview

MESSENGER is a scientific investigation of the planet

Mercury. Understanding Mercury, and the forces that have
shaped it, is fundamental to understanding the terrestrial planets
and their evolution.
MESSENGER is a MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment,
GEochemistry, and Ranging mission to orbit Mercury following
two flybys of that planet. The orbital phase will use the flyby
data as an initial guide to perform a focused scientific
investigation of this enigmatic world.
MESSENGER will investigate key scientific questions
regarding Mercury’s characteristics and environment during
these two complementary mission phases. Data are provided by
an optimized set of miniaturized space instruments and the
spacecraft telecommunications system.
MESSENGER will enter Mercury orbit in April 2009 and
carry out comprehensive measurements for one Earth year.
Orbital data collection concludes in April 2010.
Mission Management
Principal Investigator: Dr. Sean C. Solomon Science Payload
Carnegie Inst. of Washington Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS)
Project Management: JHU/APL Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer (GRNS)
Spacecraft Integration: JHU/APL X-ray Spectrometer (XRS)
Instruments: JHU/APL, GSFC, Magnetometer (MAG)
Univ. Colorado, Univ. Michigan Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA)
Structure: Composite Optics, Inc. Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition
Propulsion: GenCorp Aerojet Spectrometer (MASCS)
Navigation: Jet Propulsion Laboratory Energetic Particle and Plasma Spectrometer (EPPS)
Radio Science (RS) uses telecommunication system
Mission Summary
Launch dates: March 10–29, 2004 (20 days) Key Spacecraft Characteristics
May 12–23, 2004 (12 days) All major systems redundant
Launch vehicle: Delta 2925H-9.5 System uses off-the-shelf components and standard data
Venus flybys (2): June 24, 2004 interfaces
March 16, 2006 Subsystem heritage from NEAR and TIMED
Mercury flybys (2): July 21, 2007 Life-cycle costs minimized through advanced on-board
April 11, 2008 autonomy
Passive thermal design utilizing ceramic-material sunshade
Mercury orbit insertion: April 6, 2009
requires no high-temperature electronics
Schedule and Cost Summary Fixed phased-array antennas replace a deployable-high-
gain antenna
$286 M Total Mission Cost Solar array design optimized for Mercury environment
14 weeks schedule reserve
$22 M cost reserve Mission Benefits
Technology transfer to robotics, medicine, oil-exploration,
Phase Date Duration industrial laboratory instrumentation, aircraft
B 1 Jan 00 18 months communications
C/D 1 Jul 01 34 months Small disadvantaged business participation
E 1 May 04 89 months Comprehensive Education/Public Outreach program

http://sd-www.jhuapl.edu/MESSENGER/
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 MESSENGER– to Mercury, the last frontier
of the terrestrial planets
Understanding Mercury is fundamental to understanding terrestrial planet evolution
• Key questions: What is the origin of Mercury’s high density? What are the composition and structure of its
crust? Has Mercury experienced volcanism? What are the nature and dynamics of its thin atmosphere and
Earth-like magnetosphere? What is the nature of its mysterious polar caps? Is a liquid outer core responsible
for generating its magnetic field?
MESSENGER provides:
• Multiple flybys for global mapping, detailed study of high-priority targets, and probing of the atmosphere
and magnetosphere
• An orbiter for detailed characterization of the surface, interior, atmosphere, and magnetosphere
• Aggressive education and public outreach program (four educational and five outreach programs to
produce exhibits, a documentary, plain-language books, educational modules, and teacher training)
MESSENGER Science Objectives:

Polar cap volatiles – The gamma-ray and neutron Crustal composition – Global elemental abundance
spectrometer will determine if Mercury’s polar caps mapping by the X-ray and gamma-ray and neutron
contain hydrogen in water ice, and the spectrometers will reveal the chemical
laser altimeter will map the caps’ provinces within Mercury’s crust.
topography and thickness. The Multicolor imaging and IR
particle and plasma and UV spectroscopy will detect and
spectrometers will detect map variations in mineral
effluent from the frozen abundances to scales of
volatiles, even if the cap is 1 km or less. These data
formed of elemental will allow determination
sulfur. of the abundance and
distribution of volcanic
Core and magnetic materials and the testing
dynamo – Accurate of models for the origin
measurement of of Mercury’s high bulk
Mercury’s libration by density.
the laser altimeter and Geologic evolution –
radio science experiments Global imaging coverage
will reveal whether or not at 250 m/pixel, acquired at
Mercury still possesses a liquid stereo geometries and with
outer core. elevation “ground truth” from
the laser altimeter, will provide
Crust and mantle – Altimetric
morphologic information critical to
mapping by the laser altimeter and gravity
understanding the sequence of tectonic
mapping by the radio science experiment
deformation, volcanism, and cratering that shaped
will probe for spatial variations in the structure of the
Mercury’s surface.
lithosphere, evidence for early impact stripping of the
crust, and evidence for ongoing mantle convection. Exosphere – The UV spectrometer will measure the
composition and structure of Mercury’s tenuous
Magnetosphere – While the magnetometer maps the atmosphere and determine how it varies with local
configuration and time-variability of Mercury’s solar time, solar activity, and the planet’s distance from
magnetic field, the combined plasma- and energetic- the Sun. The energetic-particle spectrometer will
particle spectrometer will determine the types, measure the exchange of species between the exosphere
abundances, and energetics and dynamical and magnetosphere, and the plasma spectrometer will
characteristics of ions trapped within it. observe pick-up ions in the solar wind.

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