BepiColumbo MIXS lead Co-Investigator Bridging Grant
Lead Research Organisation:
The Open University
Department Name: Faculty of Sci, Tech, Eng & Maths (STEM)
Abstract
BepiColombo is the European Space Agency's mission to Mercury, expected to begin orbiting the planet in 2024. It is a highly-capable pair of spacecraft, equipped with a UK-led X-ray imager (MIXS) that will give much-needed compositional data. MIXS has now been delivered to ESA, and this award fills a one-year gap between the end of my support from the UK Space Agency and the opportunity to secure longer-term support for my role on the BepoColombo team from STFC via my Department's next Consolidated Grant proposal.
As a member of the BepiColombo 'science team' I expect to continue to attend meetings of the BepiColombo Science Working Team (annual) and usually also of the BepiColombo Science Working Group (annual). I am playing a major role in training the next-generation of UK Mercury scientists through supervision of PhD students, and this award puts me in a position to do that effectively - even though they are not funded through this award directly.
I will continue to attend the Lunar & Planetary Science conference (Houston), as the most appropriate annual forum for Mercury surface and compositional science, and also more local meetings such as EGU (Vienna).
There will be a solar transit of Mercury on 9 May 2016. The timing is ideal for viewing from the UK, starting 11:12 and ending 18:42 UT (12:12-19:42 BST). I aim to use my position to make this a national media event (possibly a Sky at Night or StargazingLive TV special), and to take advantage of this to interest the public in Mercury and to raise awareness of MIXS and BepiColombo in general. There are already some Mercury videos in production (with OU funding), I am encouraging amateur astronomy societies to take their solar telescopes onto the streets to show the transit to the public, and I have arranged for ESA to webstream the transit live from space for the benefit of people who are clouded out. Information and resources are at http://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/bepicolombo/mercury-transit
As a member of the BepiColombo 'science team' I expect to continue to attend meetings of the BepiColombo Science Working Team (annual) and usually also of the BepiColombo Science Working Group (annual). I am playing a major role in training the next-generation of UK Mercury scientists through supervision of PhD students, and this award puts me in a position to do that effectively - even though they are not funded through this award directly.
I will continue to attend the Lunar & Planetary Science conference (Houston), as the most appropriate annual forum for Mercury surface and compositional science, and also more local meetings such as EGU (Vienna).
There will be a solar transit of Mercury on 9 May 2016. The timing is ideal for viewing from the UK, starting 11:12 and ending 18:42 UT (12:12-19:42 BST). I aim to use my position to make this a national media event (possibly a Sky at Night or StargazingLive TV special), and to take advantage of this to interest the public in Mercury and to raise awareness of MIXS and BepiColombo in general. There are already some Mercury videos in production (with OU funding), I am encouraging amateur astronomy societies to take their solar telescopes onto the streets to show the transit to the public, and I have arranged for ESA to webstream the transit live from space for the benefit of people who are clouded out. Information and resources are at http://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/bepicolombo/mercury-transit
Planned Impact
The UK planetary science community will benefit by a strong and developing presence on the BepiColombo science team.
Organisations
Publications
Bunce E
(2020)
The BepiColombo Mercury Imaging X-Ray Spectrometer: Science Goals, Instrument Performance and Operations
in Space Science Reviews
Fegan E
(2017)
Late movement of basin-edge lobate scarps on Mercury
in Icarus
Galluzzi V
(2016)
Geology of the Victoria quadrangle (H02), Mercury
in Journal of Maps
Milillo A
(2020)
Investigating Mercury's Environment with the Two-Spacecraft BepiColombo Mission
in Space Science Reviews
Rothery D
(2021)
On the asymmetry of Nathair Facula, Mercury
in Icarus
Rothery D
(2020)
Rationale for BepiColombo Studies of Mercury's Surface and Composition
in Space Science Reviews
Rothery D
(2017)
Mercury's Caloris basin: Continuity between the interior and exterior plains
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
Thomas R
(2019)
Volcanism on Mercury
in Elements
Thomas R
(2016)
Mercury's low-reflectance material: Constraints from hollows
in Icarus
Wright J
(2020)
Modification of Caloris ejecta blocks by long-lived mass-wasting: A volatile-driven process?
in Earth and Planetary Science Letters
| Description | same as my other STFC/UKSA MIXS grants We now have BepiColombo images from the first Mercury flybay, but ths was WAY after this grant ended. If you want to claim credit, you shound fund me. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2014 |
| Sector | Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal |
| Description | Article in The Conversation on BepiColombo |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | An article on what BepiColombo is capable of, and its costs, published to coincide with its final tests before shipping |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/the-bepicolombo-spacecraft-is-ready-to-solve-the-many-mysteries-of-mercu... |
| Description | BBC Sky at Night programme about Mercury and the 9 May 2016 transit recorded at the OU (myself and PhD student Jack Wright were interviewed) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | BBC4 Sky at Night pogramme |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |
| Description | Discoiver Mercury videos |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A series of 10 videos about Mercury, the transit and the BepiColombo mission (funded by the OU as STFC outreach bid was rejected) http://www.open.edu/openlearn/discovermercury Recorded in 2015, online in early 2016 |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016 |
| URL | http://www.open.edu/openlearn/discovermercury |
| Description | Institute of Physics Talk on BepiColombo |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A talk, followed by lively discussion |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | https://www.events.iop.org/e/the-planet-mercury-and-the-bepicolombo-mission-80511558539a4d519b6cb540... |
| Description | Pubkic understanding of science talk |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Talk on the geology of Mercury at St Pauls Catholic School, Milton Keynes |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
| URL | http://www.st-pauls.org.uk/extra-curricular/events-and-lectures |
| Description | Schools and punlic invited to OU to share the 9 May solar transit of Mercury wit us |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | Transit viewing facilities and a series of talks |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016 |