Laser Altimeter Observations from MESSENGER's First Mercury Flyby

A 3200-kilometers-long profile of Mercury by the Mercury Laser Altimeter on the MESSENGER spacecraft spans ~20% of the near-equatorial region of the planet. Topography along the profile is characterized by a 5.2-kilometer dynamic range and 930-meter root-mean-square roughness. At long wavelengths, t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2008-07, Vol.321 (5885), p.77-79
Main Authors: Zuber, Maria T, Smith, David E, Solomon, Sean C, Phillips, Roger J, Peale, Stanton J, Head, James W. III, Hauck, Steven A. II, McNutt, Ralph L. Jr, Oberst, Jürgen, Neumann, Gregory A, Lemoine, Frank G, Sun, Xiaoli, Barnouin-Jha, Olivier, Harmon, John K
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Impact craters
Laser altimeters
Lasers
Mercury
Pulse duration
Radar
Radar altimetry
Spacecraft
Terrestrial planets
Wavelengths
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Summary:A 3200-kilometers-long profile of Mercury by the Mercury Laser Altimeter on the MESSENGER spacecraft spans ~20% of the near-equatorial region of the planet. Topography along the profile is characterized by a 5.2-kilometer dynamic range and 930-meter root-mean-square roughness. At long wavelengths, topography slopes eastward by 0.02°, implying a variation of equatorial shape that is at least partially compensated. Sampled craters on Mercury are shallower than their counterparts on the Moon, at least in part the result of Mercury's higher gravity. Crater floors vary in roughness and slope, implying complex modification over a range of length scales.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.1159086