Abstract
An updated set of goals and objectives for the Mercury Gamma and Neutron Spectrometer (MGNS) are presented based on the most recent findings of the MESSENGER mission. The updated design of MGNS with the new CeBr3 crystal for detection of gamma-ray along with its benefits for the detection of 40K and K/Th ratio are discussed. MGNS will then be capable of measuring the elemental composition of shallow subsurface in order to empirically evaluate the fittest model on the origin of Mercury, as well as the presence of possible water ice deposits on the permanently shadowed polar craters on the planet. We present the results of the first measurements in space performed during the instrument commissioning phase and during the first Earth flyby which occurred in April 2020.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
J. Benkhoff et al., Space Sci. Rev. (2020), this journal
W. Boynton, W. Feldman, I. Mitrofanov et al., The Mars Odyssey Gamma-Ray Spectrometer instrument suite. Space Sci. Rev. 110, 37–83 (2004)
L. Evans, P. Peplowski, F. McCubbin et al., Chlorine on the surface of Mercury: MESSENGER gamma-ray measurements and implications for the planet’s formation and evolution. Icarus 257, 417–427 (2015)
L. Evans, P. Peplowski, E. Rhodes et al., The MESSENGER Gamma-Ray Spectrometer: calibration and operations. Icarus 288, 186–200 (2017)
J. Goldsten, E. Rhodes et al., The MESSENGER Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer. Space Sci. Rev. 131, 339–391 (2007)
K. Hurley, V. Pal’shin, R. Aptekar et al., The interplanetary network supplement to the Fermi GBM catalog of cosmic gamma-ray bursts. Astrophys. J. Suppl. Ser. 207, 39 (2013)
A. Kozyrev, I. Mitrofanov, J. Benkhoff et al., Next generation of scintillation detector based on cerium bromide crystal for space application in the gamma-ray spectrometer of the Mercurian Gamma-ray and Neutron Spectrometer. Instrum. Exp. Tech. 59(4), 569–577 (2016a)
A. Kozyrev, I. Mitrofanov, A. Owens et al., A comparative study of LaBr3(Ce3+) and CeBr3 based gamma-ray spectrometers for planetary remote sensing applications. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 87(8), 085112 (2016b)
A. Kozyrev, A. Anikin, A. Vostrukhin et al., Simulation of space experiments for nuclear planetology: measurement of relative intensities of lines of gamma-ray emitted upon thermal-neutron capture by nuclei. Phys. At. Nucl. 81(5), 527–539 (2018)
M.L. Litvak et al., Mars neutron radiation environment from HEND/Odyssey and DAN/MSL observations. Planet. Space Sci. 184, 104866 (2020)
M.A. Livshits, I.V. Zimovets, D.V. Golovin et al., Catalog of hard X-ray solar flares detected with Mars Odyssey/HEND from the Mars orbit in 2001–2016. Astron. Rep. 61(9), 791–804 (2017)
E.V.D. Loef, P. Dorenbos, C.W.E. Eijk, K. Krämer, H.U. Güdel, Opt. Commun. 79, 1573 (2001)
I.G. Mitrofanov et al., The Mercury Gamma and Neutron Spectrometer (MGNS) onboard the Planetary Orbiter of the BepiColombo mission. Planet. Space Sci. 58, 116–124 (2010)
J. Morgan, E. Anders, Chemical composition of Earth, Venus, and Mercury. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, E—Phys. Sci. 77, 6973–6977 (1980)
A. Owens, Scintillators on interplanetary space missions. IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci. 55, 1430 (2008)
A. Owens et al., Assessment of the radiation tolerance of LaBr3:Ce scintillators to solar proton events. Nucl. Instrum. Methods A 572, 785 (2007)
P. Peplowski, D. Lawrence, E. Rhodes et al., Variations in the abundances of potassium and thorium on the surface of Mercury: results from the MESSENGER Gamma-Ray Spectrometer. J. Geophys. Res. 117, E00L04 (2012)
P. Peplowski, L. Evans, K. Stockstill-Cahill et al., Enhanced sodium abundance in Mercury’s north polar region revealed by the MESSENGER Gamma-Ray Spectrometer. Icarus 228, 86–95 (2014)
F.G.A. Quarati, A. Owens, P. Dorenbos, J.T.M. Haas, G. Benzoni, N. Blasi, C. Boiano, S. Brambilla, F. Camera, R. Alba, G. Bellia, C. Maiolino, D. Santonocito, M. Ahmed, N. Brown et al., High energy gamma-ray spectroscopy with LaBr3 scintillation detectors. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res., Sect. A, Accel. Spectrom. Detect. Assoc. Equip. 629(1), 157 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2010.11.035
F.G.A. Quarati, P. Dorenbos, J. van der Biezen, A. Owens, M. Selle, L. Parthier, P. Schotanus, Scintillation and detection characteristics of high-sensitivity CeBr3 gamma-ray spectrometers. Nucl. Instrum. Methods Phys. Res., Sect. A 729, 596 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nima.2013.08.005
S. Solomon, R. McNutt, R. Gold et al., MESSENGER mission overview. Space Sci. Rev. 131(1–4), 3–39 (2007)
V.I. Vybornov, M.A. Livshits, L.K. Kashapova, I.G. Mitrofanov et al., Observation of the powerful solar flare of October 27, 2002 on the far side of the Sun. Astron. Rep. 56(10), 805–812 (2012)
Acknowledgement
The authors wish to thank the BepiColombo project team for their supporting of the MGNS instrument integration and space flight operation onboard MPO spacecraft. The MGNS instrument team is funded by Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, grant AAAA-A18-118012290370-6.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Publisher’s Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
The BepiColombo mission to Mercury
Edited by Johannes Benkhoff, Go Murakami and Ayako Matsuoka
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mitrofanov, I.G., Kozyrev, A.S., Lisov, D.I. et al. The Mercury Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer (MGNS) Onboard the Mercury Planetary Orbiter of the BepiColombo Mission: Design Updates and First Measurements in Space. Space Sci Rev 217, 67 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-021-00842-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-021-00842-7