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Science 4 July 2008:
Vol. 321. no. 5885, pp. 59 - 62
DOI: 10.1126/science.1159706
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Reports

Return to Mercury: A Global Perspective on MESSENGER's First Mercury Flyby

Sean C. Solomon,1* Ralph L. McNutt, Jr.,2 Thomas R. Watters,3 David J. Lawrence,2 William C. Feldman,4 James W. Head,5 Stamatios M. Krimigis,2,6 Scott L. Murchie,2 Roger J. Phillips,7 James A. Slavin,8 Maria T. Zuber9

In January 2008, the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft became the first probe to fly past the planet Mercury in 33 years. The encounter revealed that Mercury is a dynamic system; its liquid iron-rich outer core is coupled through a dominantly dipolar magnetic field to the surface, exosphere, and magnetosphere, all of which interact with the solar wind. MESSENGER images confirm that lobate scarps are the dominant tectonic landform and record global contraction associated with cooling of the planet. The history of contraction can be related to the history of volcanism and cratering, and the total contractional strain is at least one-third greater than inferred from Mariner 10 images. On the basis of measurements of thermal neutrons made during the flyby, the average abundance of iron in Mercury's surface material is less than 6% by weight.

1 Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, USA.
2 Space Department, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA.
3 Center for Earth and Planetary Studies, National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA.
4 Planetary Science Institute, Tucson, AZ 85719, USA.
5 Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
6 Academy of Athens, Athens 11527, Greece.
7 Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302, USA.
8 NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD 20771, USA.
9 Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: scs{at}dtm.ciw.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
The Evolution of Mercury's Crust: A Global Perspective from MESSENGER.
B. W. Denevi, M. S. Robinson, S. C. Solomon, S. L. Murchie, D. T. Blewett, D. L. Domingue, T. J. McCoy, C. M. Ernst, J. W. Head, T. R. Watters, et al. (2009)
Science 324, 613-618
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Evolution of the Rembrandt Impact Basin on Mercury.
T. R. Watters, J. W. Head, S. C. Solomon, M. S. Robinson, C. R. Chapman, B. W. Denevi, C. I. Fassett, S. L. Murchie, and R. G. Strom (2009)
Science 324, 618-621
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Volcanism on Mercury: Evidence from the First MESSENGER Flyby.
J. W. Head, S. L. Murchie, L. M. Prockter, M. S. Robinson, S. C. Solomon, R. G. Strom, C. R. Chapman, T. R. Watters, W. E. McClintock, D. T. Blewett, et al. (2008)
Science 321, 69-72
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Geology of the Caloris Basin, Mercury: A View from MESSENGER.
S. L. Murchie, T. R. Watters, M. S. Robinson, J. W. Head, R. G. Strom, C. R. Chapman, S. C. Solomon, W. E. McClintock, L. M. Prockter, D. L. Domingue, et al. (2008)
Science 321, 73-76
   Abstract »    Full Text »    PDF »
Laser Altimeter Observations from MESSENGER's First Mercury Flyby.
M. T. Zuber, D. E. Smith, S. C. Solomon, R. J. Phillips, S. J. Peale, J. W. Head III, S. A. Hauck II, R. L. McNutt Jr., J. Oberst, G. A. Neumann, et al. (2008)
Science 321, 77-79
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The Structure of Mercury's Magnetic Field from MESSENGER's First Flyby.
B. J. Anderson, M. H. Acuna, H. Korth, M. E. Purucker, C. L. Johnson, J. A. Slavin, S. C. Solomon, and R. L. McNutt Jr. (2008)
Science 321, 82-85
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Mercury's Exosphere: Observations During MESSENGER's First Mercury Flyby.
W. E. McClintock, E. T. Bradley, R. J. Vervack Jr., R. M. Killen, A. L. Sprague, N. R. Izenberg, and S. C. Solomon (2008)
Science 321, 92-94
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