Author/Authors :
Mitrofanov، نويسنده , , I.G. and Kozyrev، نويسنده , , A.S. and Konovalov، نويسنده , , A. and Litvak، نويسنده , , M.L. and Malakhov، نويسنده , , A.A. and Mokrousov، نويسنده , , M.I. and Sanin، نويسنده , , A.B. and Tret’ykov، نويسنده , , V.I. and Vostrukhin، نويسنده , , A.V. and Bobrovnitskij، نويسنده , , Yu.I. and Tomilina، نويسنده , , T.M. and Gurvits، نويسنده , , L. and Owens، نويسنده , , A.، نويسنده ,
Abstract :
The main goals and objectives are presented for the Mercury Gamma and Neutron Spectrometer (MGNS) to be flown on board the Mercury Planetary Orbiter of ESAs BepiColombo mission. The instrument design is discussed and from an analysis of its properties, it is shown that the MGNS is capable of measuring the elemental composition of the shallow subsurface, providing a sensitive tool to discriminate between a number of proposed models for Mercuryʹs origin. The instrument will also test for the presence of water ice deposits on the permanently shadowed polar craters of the planet.
Keywords :
gamma rays , neutrons , elemental composition , radioisotopes
