Search Publications
Solar Intensity X-Ray and Particle Spectrometer SIXS: Instrument Design and First Results
Schmidt, W.; Andersson, H.; Grande, M. +25 more
The Solar Intensity X-ray and particle Spectrometer (SIXS) on the BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter ("Bepi") measures the direct solar X-rays, energetic protons, and electrons that bombard, and interact with, the Hermean surface. The interactions result in X-ray fluorescence and scattering, and particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE), i.e. "glo…
Nongravitational Effects of Cometary Activity
Keller, Horst Uwe; Skorov, Yuri; Mottola, Stefano +4 more
Nongravitational forces induced by sublimation of volatiles affect the rotational and orbital dynamics of comets. In addition to contributing to the improvement of ephemerides and of rotational models, nongravitational effects can help constrain the regional distribution and temporal evolution of cometary activity, which in turn provides input for…
Tracing the Origins of the Ice Giants Through Noble Gas Isotopic Composition
Mousis, O.; Marty, B.; Mandt, K. E. +4 more
The current composition of giant planet atmospheres provides information on how such planets formed, and on the origin of the solid building blocks that contributed to their formation. Noble gas abundances and their isotope ratios are among the most valuable pieces of evidence for tracing the origin of the materials from which the giant planets fo…
Mercury Dust Monitor (MDM) Onboard the Mio Orbiter of the BepiColombo Mission
Kimura, Hiroshi; Hasegawa, Sunao; Krüger, Harald +17 more
An in-situ cosmic-dust instrument called the Mercury Dust Monitor (MDM) had been developed as a part of the science payload for the Mio (Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, MMO) stage of the joint European Space Agency (ESA)-JAXA Mercury-exploration mission. The BepiColombo spacecraft was successfully launched by an Ariane 5 rocket on October 20, 2018…
The BepiColombo-Mio Magnetometer en Route to Mercury
Russell, C. T.; Balogh, A.; Zhang, T. L. +26 more
The fluxgate magnetometer MGF on board the Mio spacecraft of the BepiColombo mission is introduced with its science targets, instrument design, calibration report, and scientific expectations. The MGF instrument consists of two tri-axial fluxgate magnetometers. Both sensors are mounted on a 4.8-m long mast to measure the magnetic field around Merc…
Future Missions Related to the Determination of the Elemental and Isotopic Composition of Earth, Moon and the Terrestrial Planets
Sotin, Christophe; Guenther, Eike W.; Dandouras, Iannis +14 more
In this chapter, we review the contribution of space missions to the determination of the elemental and isotopic composition of Earth, Moon and the terrestrial planets, with special emphasis on currently planned and future missions. We show how these missions are going to significantly contribute to, or sometimes revolutionise, our understanding o…
Mission Data Processor Aboard the BepiColombo Mio Spacecraft: Design and Scientific Operation Concept
Barabash, Stas; Moncuquet, Michel; Saito, Yoshifumi +25 more
BepiColombo Mio, also known as the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO), is intended to conduct the first detailed study of the magnetic field and environment of the innermost planet, Mercury, alongside the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO). This orbiter has five payload groups; the MaGnetic Field Investigation (MGF), the Mercury Plasma Particle Exp…
Correction to: Studying the Composition and Mineralogy of the Hermean Surface with the Mercury Radiometer and Thermal Infrared Spectrometer (MERTIS) for the BepiColombo Mission: An Update
Hiesinger, H.; Maturilli, A.; Helbert, J. +10 more
A Correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-020-00780-w
Measurements of Magnetic Field Fluctuations for Plasma Wave Investigation by the Search Coil Magnetometers (SCM) Onboard Bepicolombo Mio (Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter)
Sahraoui, Fouad; Le Contel, Olivier; Kasaba, Yasumasa +15 more
This paper describes the design and performance of the search coil magnetometers (SCM), which are part of the Plasma Wave Investigation (PWI) instrument onboard the BepiColombo/Mio spacecraft (Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter), which will measure the electric field, plasma waves and radio waves for the first time in Mercury's plasma environment. The…
The MEFISTO and WPT Electric Field Sensors of the Plasma Wave Investigation on the BepiColombo Mio Spacecraft
Kallio, E.; Wahlund, J. -E.; Bylander, L. +13 more
This paper describes the design of MEFISTO (Mercury Electric Field In-Situ Tool) and WPT (Wire Probe Antenna) electric field sensors for Plasma Wave Investigation (PWI) on the BepiColombo Mio spacecraft (Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, MMO). The two sensors will enable the first observations of electric fields, plasma waves and radio waves in and …