信使号首次飞越水星时的激光高度计观测数据。

Laser altimeter observations from MESSENGER's first Mercury flyby.

作者信息

Zuber Maria T, Smith David E, Solomon Sean C, Phillips Roger J, Peale Stanton J, Head James W, Hauck Steven A, McNutt Ralph L, Oberst Jürgen, Neumann Gregory A, Lemoine Frank G, Sun Xiaoli, Barnouin-Jha Olivier, Harmon John K

机构信息

Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307, USA.

出版信息

Science. 2008 Jul 4;321(5885):77-9. doi: 10.1126/science.1159086.

DOI:10.1126/science.1159086

PMID:18599773

Abstract

A 3200-kilometers-long profile of Mercury by the Mercury Laser Altimeter on the MESSENGER spacecraft spans approximately 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 degrees , 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.

摘要

信使号航天器上的水星激光高度计绘制的一条长达3200公里的水星剖面，跨越了该行星近赤道区域约20%的范围。沿该剖面的地形特征是有5.2公里的动态范围和930米的均方根粗糙度。在长波长下，地形向东倾斜0.02度，这意味着赤道形状的变化至少得到了部分补偿。水星上采样的陨石坑比月球上的同类陨石坑要浅，至少部分原因是水星的引力更大。陨石坑底部的粗糙度和坡度各不相同，这意味着在一系列长度尺度上有复杂的变化。