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Science 4 July 2008:
Vol. 321. no. 5885, pp. 62 - 65
DOI: 10.1126/science.1159933
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Reports

Spectroscopic Observations of Mercury's Surface Reflectance During MESSENGER's First Mercury Flyby

William E. McClintock,1* Noam R. Izenberg,2 Gregory M. Holsclaw,1 David T. Blewett,2 Deborah L. Domingue,2 James W. Head, III,3 Jörn Helbert,4 Timothy J. McCoy,5 Scott L. Murchie,2 Mark S. Robinson,6 Sean C. Solomon,7 Ann L. Sprague,8 Faith Vilas9

During MESSENGER's first flyby of Mercury, the Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer made simultaneous mid-ultraviolet to near-infrared (wavelengths of 200 to 1300 nanometers) reflectance observations of the surface. An ultraviolet absorption (<280 nanometers) suggests that the ferrous oxide (Fe2+) content of silicates in average surface material is low (less than 2 to 3 weight percent). This result is supported by the lack of a detectable 1-micrometer Fe2+ absorption band in high-spatial-resolution spectra of mature surface materials as well as immature crater ejecta, which suggests that the ferrous iron content may be low both on the surface and at depth. Differences in absorption features and slope among the spectra are evidence for variations in composition and regolith maturation of Mercury's surface.

1 Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80303, USA.
2 Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Laurel, MD 20723, USA.
3 Department of Geological Sciences, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA.
4 Institute of Planetary Research, Deutsches Zentrum für Luftund Raumfahrt, Berlin 12489, Germany.
5 National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20560, USA.
6 Department of Geological Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
7 Department of Terrestrial Magnetism, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, DC 20015, USA.
8 Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA.
9 MMT Observatory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: william.mcclintock{at}lasp.colorado.edu

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THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES:
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W. E. McClintock, R. J. Vervack Jr, E. T. Bradley, R. M. Killen, N. Mouawad, A. L. Sprague, M. H. Burger, S. C. Solomon, and N. R. Izenberg (2009)
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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)
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Return to Mercury: A Global Perspective on MESSENGER's First Mercury Flyby.
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Reflectance and Color Variations on Mercury: Regolith Processes and Compositional Heterogeneity.
M. S. Robinson, S. L. Murchie, D. T. Blewett, D. L. Domingue, S. E. Hawkins III, J. W. Head, G. M. Holsclaw, W. E. McClintock, T. J. McCoy, R. L. McNutt Jr., et al. (2008)
Science 321, 66-69
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