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A mid-infrared study of synthetic glass and crystal mixtures analog to the geochemical terranes on mercury
Helbert, Joern; Hiesinger, Harald; Weber, Iris +8 more
The MERTIS (MErcury Radiometer and Thermal Infrared Spectrometer) onboard of the BepiColombo ESA/JAXA mission to Mercury will map the surface of Mercury in the wavelength range of 7-14 µm and for the interpretation of these spectra a database of analog materials is needed. We analyzed bulk grain size fractions of a series of analog materials…
Mid-IR spectral properties of different surfaces of silicate mixtures before and after excimer laser irradiation
Hiesinger, Harald; Helbert, Jörn; Weber, Iris +6 more
The behaviour of the Christiansen feature (CF) and the Reststrahlen bands (RBs) in mid-infrared (IR) reflectance spectra on various silicate mixtures as pressed pellets and powders was investigated in high-vacuum. In addition, the influence of micrometeorite bombardment simulated with an excimer laser was studied. The mixtures cover a wide range o…
Estimation of surface temperatures on Mercury in preparation of the MERTIS experiment onboard BepiColombo
Hiesinger, Harald; Helbert, Jörn; Bauch, Karin E. +1 more
The Mercury Radiometer and Thermal Infrared Spectrometer (MERTIS) is part of the payload on the joint ESA-JAXA BepiColombo Mission, launched in October 2018. The spectrometer is designed to map surface composition, identify rock-forming minerals, map surface mineralogy, and study surface temperature variations. The surface of Mercury undergoes lar…
Mid-infrared reflectance spectroscopy of synthetic glass analogs for Mercury surface studies
Helbert, Joern; Hiesinger, Harald; Weber, Iris +14 more
We have synthesized and analyzed by mid-infrared reflectance spectroscopy silicate glasses that are representative for the glasses on the surface of Mercury. The glass compositions are based on high-pressure laboratory experiments and the resulting compositions of the glass phase. The spectra are of interest for investigating the surface of Mercur…
Mid-infrared spectroscopy of planetary analogs: A database for planetary remote sensing
Helbert, Joern; Hiesinger, Harald; Weber, Iris +4 more
The MERTIS (MErcury Radiometer and Thermal Infrared Spectrometer) instrument onboard the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission will provide mid-infrared data, which will be crucial to characterize the surface mineralogy of Mercury. In order to interpret the results, we are creating a database of mid-infrared spectra. As part of a study of synthetic glasses…
An analysis of the geodesy and relativity experiments of BepiColombo
Iess, Luciano; Imperi, Luigi; Mariani, Mirco J.
BepiColombo is a ESA-JAXA mission aimed to a comprehensive exploration of Mercury, the innermost planet of the solar system. The Mercury Orbiter Radio science Experiment (MORE) will exploit a state of the art microwave tracking system, including an advanced Ka-band transponder, to determine the gravity field and the rotational state of the planet,…