Unmasking the Secrets of Mercury
The MASCS instrument onboard NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft was designed to study both the exosphere and surface of Mercury. To learn more about the minerals and surface processes on Mercury, the Visual and Infrared Spectrometer (VIRS) portion of MASCS diligently collected single tracks of spectral surface measurements from the time MESSENGER entered orbit. The track coverage became extensive enough that the spectral properties of both broad terrains and small, distinct features such as pyroclastic vents and fresh craters could be studied. To accentuate the geological context of the spectral measurements, the MASCS data have been overlain on the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) monochrome mosaic.
Instrument: Mercury Atmosphere and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS)
Map Projection: Orthographic
VIRS Color Composite Wavelengths: 575 nm as red, 415 nm/750 nm as green, 310 nm/390 nm as blue
Center Latitude (All Globes): 0°
Center Longitude (Top Left Globe): 270° E
Center Longitude (Top Right Globe): 0° E
Center Longitude (Bottom Left Globe): 90° E
Center Longitude (Bottom Right Globe): 180° E
Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
Image Number: PIA19419
Date: April 16, 2015
Unmasking the Secrets of Mercury
The MASCS instrument onboard NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft was designed to study both the exosphere and surface of Mercury. To learn more about the minerals and surface processes on Mercury, the Visual and Infrared Spectrometer (VIRS) portion of MASCS diligently collected single tracks of spectral surface measurements from the time MESSENGER entered orbit. The track coverage became extensive enough that the spectral properties of both broad terrains and small, distinct features such as pyroclastic vents and fresh craters could be studied. To accentuate the geological context of the spectral measurements, the MASCS data have been overlain on the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) monochrome mosaic.
Instrument: Mercury Atmosphere and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS)
Map Projection: Orthographic
VIRS Color Composite Wavelengths: 575 nm as red, 415 nm/750 nm as green, 310 nm/390 nm as blue
Center Latitude (All Globes): 0°
Center Longitude (Top Left Globe): 270° E
Center Longitude (Top Right Globe): 0° E
Center Longitude (Bottom Left Globe): 90° E
Center Longitude (Bottom Right Globe): 180° E
Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
Image Number: PIA19419
Date: April 16, 2015