Note: Intro -- Preface -- Citations -- Acknowledgements -- Contents -- Chapter 1: A Pale Pink Dot -- 1.1 Elusive Planet -- 1.2 Seeing Mercury -- 1.3 Orbit and Transits -- 1.4 Mapping by Telescope, and Mercury´s Rotation -- 1.4.1 Early Telescopic Observations -- 1.4.2 Schiaparelli and ``Synchronous Rotation´´ -- 1.4.3 Antoniadi´s Map, and Later -- 1.4.4 Not Synchronous After All -- 1.4.5 A Day Twice as Long as a Year -- 1.4.6 Hot Poles and Warm Poles -- 1.4.7 An Explanation for 3:2 Spin:Orbit Coupling -- 1.5 Mercury´s Size, Mass and Density -- Chapter 2: The Mariner 10 Era of Mercury Science -- 2.1 Introduction -- 2.2 Three Flybys for the Price of One -- 2.2.1 The Trajectory -- 2.2.2 Limitations -- 2.3 Mariner 10´s Instruments -- 2.3.1 Television Science -- 2.3.2 Infrared Radiometry -- 2.3.3 Ultraviolet Spectroscopy -- 2.3.4 Celestial Mechanics and Radio Science -- 2.3.5 Magnetic Field -- 2.3.6 Plasma Science -- 2.3.7 Charged Particles -- 2.4 Mapping a New Planet -- 2.4.1 Quadrangles -- 2.4.2 Naming Features -- 2.5 What Mariner 10 Found -- 2.5.1 Surface Characteristics -- 2.5.2 Mercury Timescale and Stratigraphy -- 2.5.3 The Magnetic Field -- 2.5.4 The Interior -- Box 2.1. Terminology for Planetary Interiors -- 2.5.5 Surface Composition -- 2.5.6 Space Weathering -- 2.5.7 The Exosphere -- 2.5.8 Polar Ice? -- 2.6 The Conundrum of Mercury´s Origin -- Chapter 3: High Time for Another Mission? -- 3.1 Introduction -- 3.2 Back to Mercury -- 3.3 MESSENGER -- 3.3.1 The Trajectory and Orbit -- 3.3.1.1 The Cruise and Flybys -- 3.3.1.2 Orbiting Mercury -- 3.3.2 The Spacecraft -- 3.3.2.1 Thrusters -- 3.3.2.2 Thermal Design -- 3.3.2.3 Communications and Data Storage -- 3.3.3 The Payload -- 3.3.3.1 Mercury Dual Imaging System, MDIS -- 3.3.3.2 Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer, GRNS -- 3.3.3.3 X-Ray Spectrometer Spectrometer, XRS -- 3.3.3.4 Magnetometer, MAG. , 3.3.3.5 Mercury Laser Altimeter, MLA -- 3.3.3.6 Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer, MASCS -- 3.3.3.7 Energetic Particle and Plasma Spectrometer, EPPS -- 3.3.3.8 Radio Science, RS -- 3.4 BepiColombo -- 3.4.1 The Trajectory and Orbit -- 3.4.1.1 The Cruise and Flybys -- 3.4.1.2 Orbiting Mercury -- 3.4.2 The Spacecraft -- 3.4.2.1 Transfer Module -- 3.4.2.2 MPO -- 3.4.2.3 MMO -- 3.4.3 The Payload -- 3.4.3.1 BepiColombo Laser Altimeter, BELA (MPO) -- 3.4.3.2 Italian Spring Accelerometer, ISA (MPO) -- 3.4.3.3 Mercury Polar Orbiter Magnetometer, MPO/MAG (MERMAG) -- 3.4.3.4 Mercury Thermal Infrared Spectrometer, MERTIS (MPO) -- 3.4.3.5 Mercury Gamma-ray Neutron Spectrometer, MGNS (MPO) -- 3.4.3.6 Mercury Imaging X-ray Spectrometer, MIXS (MPO) -- 3.4.3.7 Mercury Orbiter Radio Science Experiment, MORE (MPO) -- 3.4.3.8 Probing the Hermean Exosphere by Ultraviolet Spectroscopy, PHEBUS (MPO) -- 3.4.3.9 Search for Exospheric Refilling and Emitted Natural Abundances, SERENA (MPO) -- 3.4.3.10 Spectrometer and Imagers for MPO BepiColombo Integrated Observatory System, SIMBIO-SYS -- 3.4.3.11 Solar Intensity X-ray and Particle Spectrometer, SIXS (MPO) -- 3.4.3.12 Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter Magnetometer, MMO/MGF (MERMAG) -- 3.4.3.13 Mercury Plasma Particle Experiment, MPPE (MMO) -- 3.4.3.14 Mercury Plasma Wave Instrument, PWI (MMO) -- 3.4.3.15 Mercury Sodium Atmospheric Spectral Imager, MSASI (MMO) -- 3.4.3.16 Mercury Dust Monitor, MDM (MMO) -- 3.5 Conclusions -- Chapter 4: Mercury´s Surface as Seen by MESSENGER -- 4.1 Introduction -- 4.2 Craters and Terrain Types -- 4.2.1 Crater Characteristics -- 4.2.2 Global Overview in Colour -- Box 4.1 Principal Components Transformation and the Standard MESSENGER Exaggerated Colour Rendering -- 4.2.3 Layer Upon Layer -- 4.3 Surface Composition -- 4.3.1 Elemental Abundances -- 4.3.2 Minerals and Rock Types. , 4.4 A Tour of Mercury -- 4.4.1 Global Topography -- 4.4.2 The Oldest Terrain -- 4.4.3 Compressional Tectonic Features -- 4.4.3.1 Victoria and Endeavour Rupes -- 4.4.3.2 Beagle Rupes -- 4.4.3.3 Paramour Rupes -- 4.4.3.4 Enterprise Rupes -- 4.4.3.5 Ages of Movement -- 4.4.4 Impact Basins -- 4.4.4.1 Caloris -- 4.4.4.2 Sobkou -- 4.4.4.3 Beethoven -- 4.4.4.4 Tolstoj -- 4.4.4.5 Aneirin -- 4.4.4.6 Goethe -- 4.4.4.7 Smaller Flooded and Tectonised Basins -- 4.4.4.8 Rachmaninioff -- 4.4.4.9 Raditladi -- 4.4.4.10 Final Words on Basins -- 4.4.5 Volcanism -- 4.4.5.1 Effusive Volcanism -- 4.4.5.2 Explosive Volcanism and `Red Spots´ -- 4.4.6 Hollows -- 4.4.7 Polar Volatiles -- 4.4.8 Mysteries -- 4.4.8.1 The Sibelius `Plateau´ -- 4.4.8.2 `Catenae´ -- 4.4.8.3 The Odin Formation -- 4.4.8.4 Space Weathering and Surface Degradation Rates: The Age Old Controversy -- Chapter 5: Mercury´s Interior -- 5.1 Inside a Planet -- 5.2 The Core -- 5.2.1 The Core´s Size -- 5.2.2 The Core´s Composition -- 5.3 Crustal Thickness -- 5.4 The Lithosphere -- 5.5 Mantle Composition -- 5.6 Thermal Evolution -- Chapter 6: Mercury´s Magnetic Field and Exosphere as Seen by MESSENGER -- 6.1 Above the Surface -- 6.2 The Magnetic Field -- 6.2.1 Strength and Asymmetry -- 6.2.2 Dynamic Processes Related to the Magnetic Field -- 6.2.2.1 The Bow Shock and Hot Flow Anomalies -- 6.2.2.2 The Magnetopause and Magnetic Reconnection -- 6.2.2.3 The Plasma Sheet and Flux Ropes -- 6.2.2.4 Planetary Ions -- 6.2.3 Field Generation -- 6.3 The Exosphere -- Chapter 7: More Questions than Answers? -- 7.1 MESSENGER´s Legacy -- 7.2 How Did Mercury Form? -- 7.2.1 Hit-and-Run -- 7.2.2 Iron Sequestration into the Core -- 7.2.3 Primary Crust -- 7.3 Meteorites from Mercury? -- 7.4 What Will BepiColombo Teach Us? -- Appendix A -- A.1 Previous Publications About Mercury -- A.2 Mariner 10 Images -- A.3 MESSENGER Data. , A.4 BepiColombo Websites -- A.5 Seeing Mercury for Yourself -- Index.

Note: Includes bibliographical references and index

Note: Includes index