BepiColombo: The Italian Scientific Participation

Enrico Flamini – Workshop ASI 2008

MARINER 10

• So far Mercury has been explored only by the NASA Mariner 10, during its 3 fly-bys between 1974-75, more then 30 years ago!

• Only 45% of the planet surface has been covered by SC images and the resolution is barely enough to show major features

• Mariner had on board a Vidicom camera equipped with a smart narrow angle telescope that could operate also as wide angle with the insertion of a lens mounted on the filter wheel.

MARINER 10• The orbital constraints allowed a maximum resolution of

the order of 0.1km at few locations.• The first 2 fly-bys allowed a full retrieval of all the acquired

images while the 3°, due to a failure in the tape recorder, allowed only to receive part of the images.

• Furthermore the orbital period of Mariner 10 around the Sun was 2 times the period of Mercury then the 2/3 resonance between rotation and orbital periods allowed to image only the same hemisphere during the 3 fly-bys.

• Despite these limitations Mariner has been a beautiful and successful mission that provide the discovery of the Hermean magnetic field the existence of an exosphere, measure of the surface temperature and provided the possibility to classify for the first time the Hermean terrains and deduce information on the mineralogy and morphology.

34 Years Later:MESSENGER

August 3, 2004 -- MESSENGER Launch August 2005 -- Earth flybyOctober 2006 -- Venus flybyJune 2007 -- Venus flybyJanuary 2008 -- Mercury flybyOctober 2008 -- Mercury flybySeptember 2009 -- Mercury flybyMarch 2011 -- Yearlong science orbit

45 years afterBepiColombo

MMO MPO

BepiColombo: Mission History• 1993 Proposal for Mercury Mission in Response to Call for Missions May 1993 (Balogh) • 1993/94 Internal Assessment Study, 7 month• 1996 Mission selected as Cornerstone candidate for Horizon 2000• 1996 April 4 month interim study input for industrial system and technology study (Alenia)• 1998 April Alenia Study 1 year duration• 2000 Jan-Feb CDF study by ESA • 2000 April System and Technology Study Report by ESA• 2000 Nov Selection as ESA Cornerstone• 2001/02 Competitive BepiColombo Industrial Definition Studies (Alenia, Astrium)

mid 2001 until end 2002 (Final presentation: Oct. 2002)• 2001 Nov. Ministerial Conference severe budget reduction, drop of the lander• 2002 Oct. Start of mission re-assessment by ESA SCI-A• 2003 Jun. End of mission re-assessment Reassessment Report new mission scenario (single

launch composite, new procurement approach for integrated payload suite)• 2003 Nov. SPC approval of New Mission Scenario and Payload Confirmation Process• 2004 Feb. SPC approval of Science Management Plan Release of Request for Proposals

Start of Industrial Definition Phase 2 Studies• 2004 Nov. Endorsement of MPO Payload Selection• 2005 May Delay of ITT release• 2005 Sep. Delay of Launch to August 2013• 2005 Nov. Approval of MPO Payload• 2006 Feb. SPC Confirmation and ITT Release

Giuseppe (Bepi) Colombo

Orbital Comparison

MPO PayloadBELA Laser Altimeter* N. Thomas / T. Spohn

ISA Italian Spring Accelerometer V. Iafolla

MERMAG Magnetometer * K.H. Glassmeier

MERTIS Thermal IR Spectrometer E.K. Jessberger  

MGNS Gamma Ray/Neutron Spectr. * I. Mitrofanov

MIXS X-ray Spectrometer * G. Fraser

SIXS Solar Monitor J. Houvelin

MORE Radio Science L. IessKa-band Transponder *

PHEBUS UV Spectrometer E. Chassefière  

SERENA Neutral Particle Analyser/ S. Orsini Ion Spectrometers

SIMBIO-SYS High Res.+ Stereo Cameras E. Flamini Visual and NIR Spectrometer * *

* Also on Messenger ** olny Hi Res and NIR spectrometer on Messenger

MMO Payload

MERMAG-M/MGF  Mercury Magnetometer W. Baumjohann

MPPE Mercury Plasma Particle Experiment Y. Saito

PWI  Plasma Wave Instrument H. Matsumoto

MSASI  Mercury Sodium Atm. Spectral Imager I. Yoshikawa

MDM Mercury Dust Monitor K. Nogami