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Discovery Missions of Opportunity
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NASA Strofio            
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MISSION OF OPPORTUNITY:  Strofio

BepiColombo/Mercury Planetary Orbiter  spacer Strofio is a unique mass spectrometer that is part of the SERENA instrument package that will fly on board the European Space Agency’s BepiColombo/Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) spacecraft. The SERENA instrument has two Neutral Particle Analyzers (Strofio and ELENA) and two Ion Spectrometers (MIPA and PICAM). Strofio, from the Greek word “strofi” which means to rotate, will determine the chemical composition of Mercury’s surface, providing a powerful tool to study the planet’s geological history.

 

The Italian Space Agency’s SERENA suite of instruments will investigate the complex particle environment that surrounds Mercury called the “exosphere.” The exosphere is different from an atmosphere. In an atmosphere the molecules constantly collide and change their velocity. In the collision-free exosphere, the particles move due to gravity and, if present, sunlight pressure. Particles escape from Mercury’s surface and flow out into the exosphere, then either return to the surface or are lost in planetary space.

SERENA

MISSION OBJECTIVES

Strofio will provide answers to these scientific questions:

  • What is the composition of Mercury's exosphere?
  • How do Mercury's exosphere and magnetosphere interact?
  • How do Mercury's exosphere and surface interact?
  • What is the composition of Mercury's surface?

The BepiColombo mission consists of two separate spacecraft: the Mercury Planet Orbiter and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter. Together they will study the origin and evolution of a planet that is close to its parent star by examining Mercury’s form, interior structure, geology, composition and craters; the composition and dynamics of Mercury’s exosphere; the structure and dynamics of its magnetosphere; and the origin of its magnetic field.

MISSION MANAGEMENT

Dr. Stefano Livi of Southwest Research Institute (SWRI) in San Antonio, TX, is the Principal Investigator. Project management and instrument development are being performed at SWRI.

A Discovery Mission of Opportunity is not a complete Discovery Mission, but is one part of a larger mission. It gives the U.S. scientific community the chance to participate in non-NASA missions by providing funding for a science instrument, hardware components of a science instrument, or expertise in critical areas of a mission.

For more information, please visit the SERENA instrument suite home page.
   
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