The MESSENGER mission to Mercury: scientific payload

The MErcury, Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENG ER) mission will send the first spacecraft to orbit the planet Mercury. A m iniaturized set of seven instruments, along with the spacecraft telecommuni cations system, provide the means of achieving the scientific objectives th at motivate the mission. The payload includes a combined wide- and narrow-a ngle imaging system; gamma -ray, neutron, and X-ray spectrometers for remot e geochemical sensing; a vector magnetometer; a laser altimeter; a combined ultraviolet-visible and visible-infrared spectrometer to detect atmospheri c species and map mineralogical absorption features; and an energetic parti cle and plasma spectrometer to characterize ionized species in the magnetos phere. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.