Exploring Mercury The Iron Planet

Strom: Mercury How did Mercury get such an enormous iron core? Why is its tectonic framework so different from any other planet or satellite? What is its crystal composition? Why is the crust so depleted in iron when the interior is so rich in that element? What are the polar deposits? Where do the elements in the exosphere come from? Mercury is a planet shrouded in mystery. Only 45 percent of its surface has been seen in any detail, and that was from the Mariner 10 flyby in 1974. Yet what is known only makes the planet more fascinating. New Earth-based observations have shed light on surface and exosphere compositions, and re-evaluations of the Mariner 10 data, using modern image processing techniques, show evidence for volcanic flow fronts, pyroclastics and other volcanic phenomena not seen before. This ground-breaking book not only chronicles what has been discovered, but looks ahead to what has yet to emerge. An accompanying CD contains all the best Mariner 10 images, including the data for each image, photomosaics and maps.

Preface List of Figs, Tables and Plates Additional information on CD 1. The Twilight Planet 2. The Mariner 10 Mission 3. Mercury's Motions 4. Mercury's Size, Mass and Density 5. Mercury’s Magnetic Field and Internal Constitution 6. Mercury’s Surface-Bounded Exosphere 7. General Surface Features and Radar Characteristics 8. Surface Composition 9. The Impact Cratering Record 10. Plains: Smooth and Intercrater 11. Tectonics 12. History and Origin 13. Future Exploration of Mercury Appendix A Orbital and Physical Data for Mercury Appendix B Glossary and Terms Appendix C Names and Locations of Mercury’s Surface Features Bibliography Index Appendix 1. Glossary of Terms 2. Orbital and Physical Data of Mercury 3. Names and Locations of Mercury's Surface Features CD ROM Containing 1. README explanation of CD contents and instructions for minimal image processing 2. All good 1st, 2nd , and 3rd encounter Mariner 10 Images (about 1000) 3. PC and Macintosh Software for opening and manipulating images (NIH Image; public domain software) 4. Possibly Digital Maps and Mariner 10 photomosaics 5. Some MESSENGER graphics including a movie of the spacecraft trajectory.