Mercury Laser Altimeter
E459085
The Mercury Laser Altimeter is a scientific instrument designed to map Mercury’s surface topography with high precision by measuring the time it takes laser pulses to return from the planet’s surface.
Statements (47)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
laser altimeter
ⓘ
planetary science instrument ⓘ spacecraft instrument ⓘ |
| aboardMission | MESSENGER NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| contributedTo | first global topographic map of Mercury ⓘ |
| dataProduct |
along-track topographic profiles
ⓘ
digital elevation model of Mercury ⓘ radius measurements of Mercury ⓘ |
| developedBy | NASA Goddard Space Flight Center NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| enablesStudyOf |
Mercury crustal structure
ⓘ
Mercury gravity-topography relationships ⓘ Mercury impact basins NERFINISHED ⓘ Mercury polar topography ⓘ Mercury tectonics ⓘ |
| fieldOfView | narrow field of view telescope ⓘ |
| laserType | Nd:YAG laser NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| locatedOn | MESSENGER spacecraft bus NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| measurementPrinciple | time-of-flight of laser pulses ⓘ |
| measurementType |
range measurement
ⓘ
topographic elevation ⓘ |
| missionPhase | MESSENGER orbital phase around Mercury ⓘ |
| operatedBy |
Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
NASA ⓘ |
| operatedOn | planet Mercury ⓘ |
| operationalEnvironment | Mercury orbit ⓘ |
| operationalMode | nadir-pointing ranging ⓘ |
| partOf | MESSENGER spacecraft payload ⓘ |
| primaryPurpose |
determine Mercury shape and figure
ⓘ
measure Mercury surface topography ⓘ measure planetary radius variations ⓘ support geophysical studies of Mercury ⓘ |
| rangeResolution | on the order of meters ⓘ |
| relatedTo |
Lunar Orbiter Laser Altimeter
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| scientificDiscipline |
geodesy
ⓘ
geophysics ⓘ planetary geology ⓘ |
| supports |
determination of Mercury geoid
ⓘ
determination of Mercury spin state parameters ⓘ geodetic control of Mercury surface maps ⓘ |
| targetBody | Mercury NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| uses |
laser pulses
ⓘ
nadir-pointed telescope ⓘ photon detector ⓘ precision timing electronics ⓘ |
| verticalAccuracy | on the order of meters ⓘ |
| wavelength | 1064 nm ⓘ |
Referenced by (1)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.