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At least 127 records · Page 7
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2015

The Origin of the Compositional Diversity of Mercury's Surface Constrained From Experimental Melting of Enstatite Chondrites

Mercury is known as an endmember planet as it is the most reduced terrestrial planet with the highest core/mantle ratio. MESSENGER spacecraft has shown that its surface is FeO-poor (2-4 wt%) and Srich (up to 6-7 wt%), which confirms the reducing nature of its silicate mantle. Moreover, high resolution images revealed large volcanic plains and abundant pyroclastic deposits, suggesting important melting stages of the Mercurian mantle. This interpretation was confirmed by the high crustal thickness (up to 100 km) derived from Mercury's gravity field. This is also corroborated by a recent experimental result that showed that Mercurian partial melts are expected to be highly buoyant within the Mercurian mantle and could have risen from depths as high as the core-mantle boundary. In addition MESSENGER spacecraft provided relatively precise data on major elemental compositions of Mercury's surface. These results revealed important chemical and mineralogical heterogeneities that suggested several stages of differentiation and re-melting processes. However, the extent and nature of compositional variations produced by partial melting remains poorly constrained for the particular compositions of Mercury (very reducing conditions, low FeO-contents and high sulfur-contents). Therefore, in this study, we investigated the processes that lead to the various compositions of Mercury's surface. Melting experiments with bulk Mercury-analogue compositions were performed and compared to the compositions measured by MESSENGER.

Boujibar, A.↗
NASA NTRS2017

Constraining the Depth of Polar Ice Deposits and Evolution of Cold Traps on Mercury with Small Craters in Permanently Shadowed Regions

Earth-based radar observations revealed highly reflective deposits at the poles of Mercury [e.g., 1], which collocate with permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) detected from both imagery and altimetry by the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft [e.g., 2]. MESSENGER also measured higher hydrogen concentrations at the north polar region, consistent with models for these deposits to be composed primarily of water ice [3]. Enigmatic to the characterization of ice deposits on Mercury is the thickness of these radar-bright features. A current minimum bound of several meters exists from the radar measurements, which show no drop in the radar cross section between 13- and 70-cm wavelength observations [4, 5]. A maximum thickness of 300 m is based on the lack of any statistically significant difference between the height of craters that host radar-bright deposits and those that do not [6]. More recently, this upper limit on the depth of a typical ice deposit has been lowered to approximately 150 m, in a study that found a mean excess thickness of 50 +/- 35 m of radar-bright deposits for 6 craters [7]. Refining such a constraint permits the derivation of a volumetric estimate of the total polar ice on Mercury, thus providing insight into possible sources of water ice on the planet. Here, we take a different approach to constrain the thickness of water-ice deposits. Permanently shadowed surfaces have been resolved in images acquired with the broadband filter on MESSENGER's wide-angle camera (WAC) using low levels of light scattered by crater walls and other topography [8]. These surfaces are not featureless and often host small craters (less than a few km in diameter). Here we utilize the presence of these small simple craters to constrain the thickness of the radar-bright ice deposits on Mercury. Specifically, we compare estimated depths made from depth-to-diameter ratios and depths from individual Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA) tracks to constrain the fill of material of small craters that lie within the permanently shadowed, radar bright deposits of 7 north polar craters.

Deutsch, Ariel N.↗
NASA NTRS2018

Experimental Investigation of Chromium Behavior During Mercury's Differentiation

Mercury is the most reduced terrestrial planet with the largest core/mantle size ratio and highest sulfur concentration on the surface. The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft data allowed mapping of Mercury's surface elemental composition. Recent chromium mapping suggests Mercury's surface has on average 800 parts per million Cr with the highest values in the High Magnesium Region. These new data can give clues about Mercury's internal structure and the redox conditions under which it differentiated. In the present study, we present experimental data on the distribution of Cr among metal, silicate and sulfide liquids. We then combine them with data from previous studies and a model of planetary differentiation to discuss Mercury's bulk composition and its oxidation state.

Boujibar, A.↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Mercury Trek: A New Online NASA Visualization and Analysis Portal

In its investigations of the planet Mercury, NASA’s MESSENGER returned an immense amount of data detailing the dynamic surface of our solar system’s innermost planet. As the European and Japanese space agencies prepared for the launch of BepiColombo, the next mission to explore Mercury, BepiColombo’s project science team asked NASA to produce a new portal within the Solar System Treks suite (https://trek.nasa.gov) featuring data returned by MESSENGER from Mercury. This new portal would be used both for mission planning and for public outreach by the BepiColombo mission. While initially populated with Messenger data, the portal is also being designed to facilitate visualization, analysis, and dissemination of data from BepiColombo after it commences science operations in orbit around Mercury. The initial release of the Mercury Trek in 2019 shortly followed the launch of BepiColombo on its journey to Mercury.

B. H. Day↗
NASA NTRS2023

Chromium on Mercury: New Results From the MESSENGER X-Ray Spectrometer and Implications for the Innermost Planet’s Geochemical Evolution

Mercury, the innermost planet, formed under highly reduced conditions, based mainly on surface Fe, S, and Si abundances determined from MESSENGER mission data. The minor element Cr may serve as an independent oxybarometer but only very limited Cr data have been previously reported for Mercury. We report Cr/Si abundances across Mercury's surface based on MESSENGER X-Ray Spectrometer data throughout the spacecraft's orbital mission. The heterogeneous Cr/Si ratio ranges from 3.6 × 10 -5 in the Caloris Basin to 0.0012 within the high-magnesium region, with an average southern hemisphere value of 0.0008 (corresponding to about 200 ppm Cr). Absolute Cr/Si values have systematic uncertainty of at least 30%, but relative variations are more robust. By combining experimental Cr partitioning data along with planetary differentiation modeling, we find that if Mercury formed with bulk chondritic Cr/Al, Cr must be present in the planet's core and differentiation must have occurred at log ƒO 2 in the range of IW-6.5 to IW-2.5 in the absence of sulfides in its interior and a range of IW-5.5 to IW-2 with an FeS layer at the core-mantle boundary. Models with large fractions of Mg-Ca-rich sulfides in Mercury's interior are more compatible with moderately reducing conditions (IW-5.5 to IW-4) owing to the instability of Mg-Ca-rich sulfides at elevated ƒO 2 . These results indicate that if Mercury differentiated at a log ƒO 2 lower than IW-5.5, the presence of sulfides whether in the form of a FeS layer at the top of the core or Mg-Ca-rich sulfides within the mantle would be unlikely.

Larry R. Nittler↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sorption kinetics and stability of conventional adsorbents for mercury remediation

In-situ remediation of mercury at numerous contaminated sites worldwide is a challenging and costly endeavor due to the persistency of this contaminant. In this study, we evaluated eight commercially available sorbent media ranging from carbon-, clays- and silica-based materials (PBC– Biochar, eSorb – Sorbster, nsPAC – Powdered Activated Carbon, fsPAC – Powdered Activated Carbon with Mackinawite, F300 – Filtrasorb 300, Si-SH – Silica Thiol, eBind – RemBind, Q-Clay – Organoclay PM-199), for their effectiveness in sorbing mercury (Hg 2+ ) and mercury complexed with dissolved organic matter (Hg-DOM). Under the chosen experimental conditions of this study, results showed that in the absence of DOM, the kinetic rates of Hg 2+ sorption onto the evaluated sorbents were in the order of 0.31 min-1 (Si-SH) to 2.98 min -1 (nsPAC), whereas in the presence of DOM, the rates varied from 0.16 min-1 (F300) to 0.95 min -1 (nsPAC). The measured sorption capacity for Hg 2+ in the absence of DOM varied from 3.02 mg/g (Q-Clay) to 35.15 mg/g (Si-SH), whereas in the presence of DOM, calculated partition coefficient (KD) ranged from 69.7 mL/g (Q-Clay) to 41,510 mL/g (Si-SH). Furthermore, kinetic data suggest liquid film diffusion was the rate-limiting steps governing mercury sorption onto the studied media. Overall, the obtained study parameters (kinetics/isotherm) are particularly important in informing robust engineering designs for deployment of the vast majority of evaluated sorbents. Thus, sorbent-based strategies offer viable solutions for cost-effective cleanup of mercury at industrially contaminated sites.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2025

Feasibility of carbon foam-based sorbents for the abatement of gaseous mercury and iodine

The U.S. Department of Energy Hanford Site in Washington State is in the process of commissioning the Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant to process a portion of the 54 million gallons of radioactive and chemical waste from cold war weapon production. Technologies for the capture of volatile species of concern are still being assessed, and new methods and materials are developed as operational and flowsheet mission risks are identified. One such area still being assessed is the abatement efficacy of the Carbon Adsorber units to retain gaseous mercury and 129 I released during processing. It is challenging to predict the mercury chemistry due to the variability of the feed, and different methods/materials are required for the capture of gaseous Hg 0 and Hg II compounds. In this study, the feasibility of using developmental carbon foam (CF) sorbents for the capture of iodine and mercury was assessed using static and dynamic flow testing and compared against a commercially available sorbent, BATII-37. Both CF and CF functionalized with bismuth particles (CF-Bi) chemisorbed iodine, and CF-Bi had similar mercury capture performance to BATII-37 in dynamic flow tests. While species loading concentrations were measurable, limitations in achieving a mass balance prevented a full evaluation of capture efficacy. Nonetheless, the results serve as an important first step in demonstrating the potential for simultaneous iodine and mercury capture.

Hanford site↗
DOE OSTI2024

Literature Review Investigating Adsorbents for Mercury Removal from Salt Batch Feed Material

The Savannah River Site (SRS) Liquid Waste System (LWS) contains mercury that originated from decades of canyon processing where it was used as a catalyst for dissolving aluminum cladding of reactor fuel. Since the start of radioactive operations, the Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) has experienced processing difficulties due to the presence of mercury-laden solids. In response to these challenges, Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) has been requested by Savannah River Mission Completion (SRMC)/Salt Waste Processing Facility (SWPF) personnel to perform a literature review to assess the feasibility of chemical strikes to salt waste-containing tanks at the SRS as an option to reduce mercury introduction into SWPF. The literature review should evaluate known technologies and chemistries for decreasing mercury concentration and the anticipated efficacy of each technology on various mercury species known to exist in SRS waste.

12 MANAGEMENT OF RADIOACTIVE AND NON-RADIOACTIVE W↗
NASA NTRS2014

Kilometer-Scale Topographic Roughness of Mercury: Correlation with Geologic Features and Units

We present maps of the topographic roughness of the northern circumpolar area of Mercury at kilometer scales. The maps are derived from range profiles obtained by the Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA) instrument onboard the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission. As measures of roughness, we used the interquartile range of profile curvature at three baselines: 0.7 kilometers, 2.8 kilometers, and 11 kilometers. The maps provide a synoptic overview of variations of typical topographic textures. They show a dichotomy between the smooth northern plains and rougher, more heavily cratered terrains. Analysis of the scale dependence of roughness indicates that the regolith on Mercury is thicker than on the Moon by approximately a factor of three. Roughness contrasts within northern volcanic plains of Mercury indicate a younger unit inside Goethe basin and inside another unnamed stealth basin. These new data permit interplanetary comparisons of topographic roughness.

Kilometer-Scale↗
NASA NTRS2017

Reconciling the Dawn-Dusk Asymmetry in Mercury's Exosphere with the Micrometeoroid Impact Directionality

Combining dynamical models of dust from Jupiter-family comets and Halley-type comets, we demonstrate that the seasonal variation of the dust/meteoroid environment at Mercury is responsible for producing the dawn-dusk asymmetry in Mercury's exosphere observed by the MESSENGER spacecraft. Our latest models, calibrated recently from ground-based and space-borne measurements, provide unprecedented statistics that enable us to study the longitudinal and latitudinal distribution of meteoroids impacting Mercury's surface. We predict that the micrometeoroid impact vaporization source is expected to undergo significant motion on Mercury's surface toward the nightside during Mercury's approach to aphelion and toward the dayside when the planet is approaching the Sun.

Mercury's exosphere - meteoroids-comets-dynamical ↗
NASA NTRS2017

Revised Constraints on Absolute Age Limits for Mercury's Kuiperian and Mansurian Stratigraphic Systems

Following an approach similar to that used for the Moon, Mercury's surface units were subdivided into five time-stratigraphic systems based on geologic mapping using Mariner 10 images. The absolute time scale originally suggested for the time periods associated with these systems was based on the assumption that the lunar impact flux history applied to Mercury. However, we find that the duration and onset of corresponding periods in the stratigraphic sequences on Mercury and the Moon are not the same. Using high-resolution and multiband image data obtained by the MErcury Surface, Space ENviroment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft, we identify and catalog fresh impact craters interpreted to have formed during Mercury's two most recent periods, the Mansurian and Kuiperian. We use the densities of the inferred Kuiperian- and Mansurian-aged crater populations to estimate new limits for the age boundaries of these time intervals. Results suggest that both the Mansurian and Kuiperian periods began more recently and extended for significantly shorter durations of time than previously suggested. The Kuiperian is estimated to have initiated as recently as approximately 280 plus or minus 60 Ma (million years) and the Mansurian as recently as approximately 1.7 plus or minus 0.2 Ga (billion years).

Mercury↗
NASA NTRS2024

Role of Oxygen Fugacity on the Melting Properties of Enstatite Chondrites and Implications for Mercury’s Magmatic Evolution

Mercury, the innermost terrestrial planet, is the most reduced planet in our solar system. Insights from MESSENGER mission data revealed the presence of several distinct geochemical terranes, evidence of complex magmatic processes and collisional processes exposing subsurface materials. Surface chemical analysis indicated elevated S (~2-3 wt%) and low FeO (~1.5 wt%) concentrations. The high sulfur concentration indicates reduced conditions with an average of 5.4 log units below the Iron-Wüstite (IW) oxygen fugacity ( O 2 ) buffer (IW-5.4). Surface compositions also show a range in redox conditions during mantle melting and eruption, with inferred log f O 2 , ranging from IW-6.5 to IW-3.5. The effects of oxygen fugacity on magmatic differentiation are poorly constrained, despite their significance in our understanding of mantle-crust differentiation in the solar system. Enstatite High-Fe (EH) chondrites are very reduced undifferentiated meteorites with elevated concentrations of Fe and volatiles like S, Cl, Na, and K as compared to other chondrites. These characteristics suggest that EH chondrites are a potential analog for Mercury’s building blocks. However, the comparison of Mercury’s surface composition with melting products of EH chondrites is necessary to determine whether Mercury surface materials may be derived from EH chondrite- like materials. Here, we investigate the role of f O 2 on EH melting properties and its implications for Mercury’s accretion and differentiation.

Mercury↗
DOE OSTI2024

Estimating Interplanetary Magnetic Field Conditions at Mercury's Orbit From MESSENGER Magnetosheath Observations Using a Feedforward Neural Network

Abstract Mercury's small magnetosphere is embedded in the dynamic and intense solar wind environment characteristic of the inner heliosphere. Both the magnitude and orientation of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) significantly influence the solar wind‐magnetospheric interaction at Mercury, driving phenomena such as magnetic reconnection. The MErcury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft provided in‐situ magnetic field measurements of the solar wind, the magnetosheath, and the magnetosphere along each orbit. However, it is a challenge to directly assess the IMF's impact on Mercury's plasma environment due to the temporal separation between observations within the solar wind and the magnetosphere, especially in the absence of an upstream monitor. Here, we present a feedforward neural network (FNN) trained on a subset of magnetosheath observations to estimate the strength and orientation of the IMF upstream of the bow shock. Utilizing magnetosheath magnetic field, cylindrical spatial coordinates, and heliocentric distance measurements, the FNN predicts upstream IMF conditions with an score of 0.70 and mean averaged error of 5.3 nT, thereby greatly decreasing the temporal separation between IMF estimates and magnetospheric measurements throughout the MESSENGER mission. This approach yields IMF estimates for all magnetosheath data measured by MESSENGER, providing a useful tool for future investigations of the IMF impact on Mercury's magnetosphere. This method will be integrable with the dual‐spacecraft BepiColombo magnetosheath measurements, providing useful estimates of upstream IMF conditions particularly during the extended periods in which neither spacecraft sample the solar wind. Our results demonstrate the utility of machine learning techniques on advancing space science research.

Bowers, Charles F.↗
NASA NTRS1973

Study of ballistic mode Mercury Orbiter missions. Volume 1: Summary report

A summary is given of the scope, approach, and major results of the study of ballistic mode Mercury orbit missions (the Mariner Venus-Mercury spacecraft). The performance potential of ballistic flight mode is presented along with a study of alternate flight techniques. Orbit selection considerations are discussed in terms of the thermal environment of Mercury. Orbiter science experiments are summarized. Technology assessments were conducted for major subsystems appropriate to spin-stabilized and three-axis-stabilized spacecraft designs. Conclusions from this study are: ballistic mode Mercury orbiter missions offer adequate performance for effective follow-up of the MVM'73 science findings; the existing and programmed technology base is adequate for implementation of Mercury orbit spacecraft design; and when pending MVM flyby has been accomplished and the results analyzed, the data base will be adequate to support detailed orbiter spacecraft design efforts.

Hollenbeck, G. R.↗
NASA NTRS1974

Release of volatile mercury from vascular plants

Volatile, organic solvent soluble mercury has been found in leaves and seeds of several angiosperms. Leaves of garlic vine, avocado, and haole-koa release mercury in volatile form rapidly at room temperature. In garlic vine, the most active release is temperature dependent, but does not parallel the vapor-pressure temperature relationship for mercury. Mercury can be trapped in nitric-perchloric acid digestion fluid, or n-hexane, but is lost from the hexane unless the acid mixture is present. Seeds of haole-koa also contain extractable mercury but volatility declines in the series n-hexane (90%), methanol (50%), water (10%). This suggests that reduced volatility may accompany solvolysis in the more polar media.

Siegel, S. M.↗
NASA NTRS1977

Mercury

Information about Mercury obtained with the Mariner 10 spacecraft is summarized together with results of theoretical studies and ground-based observations. It is shown that Mercury is very likely a differentiated body, probably contains a large earthlike iron-rich core, and displays a surface similar to the moon's, which suggests a similar evolutionary history. The size and mass of Mercury are discussed along with its orbit, rotation, atmosphere, magnetic field, and magnetosphere. Surface features of Mercury are described on the basis of Mariner 10 pictures, with detailed attention given to the major physiographic provinces, the structure of the Caloris basin, the tectonic framework of the planet, crater morphology, the planet's optical and thermal properties, and cartography. The composition and structure of the interior are examined, and the thermal history of Mercury is considered. The planet's geologic history is divided into five stages or epochs: (1) accretion and differentiation, (2) terminal heavy bombardment, (3) Caloris basin formation, (4) basin flooding, and (5) postfilling lighter bombardment.

Gault, D. E.↗
NASA NTRS1979

The effect of erosion on the solar wind stand-off distance at Mercury

Measurements of the effect of dayside magnetic reconnection on the position of the earth's forward magnetopause have been scaled to Mercury in order to predict the mean solar wind stand-off distance for average conditions of solar wind dynamic pressure. It is found that for a significant portion of the time Mercury's magnetopause will be eroded and/or compressed to within 0.2 Mercury radii of the planet's surface. Solar wind stand-off distances and solar wind dynamic pressures are also calculated for the two Mariner 10 encounters with Mercury's magnetosphere. Values of the solar wind stand-off distance range from 1.3 to 2.1 Mercury radii.

Slavin, J. A.↗
NASA NTRS1979

The magnetosphere of Mercury

According to Mariner 10 data on Mercury's magnetosphere, the bow shock and magnetosheath signatures in the magnetic field are entirely consistent with the geometry expected for interaction between a planet-centered magnetic dipole and the solar wind. The geometrically determined distance to the magnetopause stagnation point of solar wind flow was 1.45 plus or minus 0.15 Mercury radii. Comparative scaling of the magnetosphere of Mercury to earth shows that Mercury itself occupies a much larger fraction of the magnetosphere than does the earth. While there is no evidence for the permanent existence of a trapped charged particle radiation belt, intense transient bursts of energetic electrons indicate that a local acceleration process must be active. It is reasonable to assume that this process occurs in the magnetic tail. The interior plasma features compare well with those in the earth's magnetosphere. Characteristic time scales for transient phenomena at Mercury should be reduced by a factor of about 20 in comparison with those on earth - i.e., a few minutes for substorms vs an hour at earth. The origin of the magnetic field is unclear.

Ness, N. F.↗