The team at the BepiColombo mission has published scientific data collected during the first gravitational maneuver off Mercury.
During the approach, scientific instruments estimated the composition of the planet's exosphere, recorded the "singing" of Mercury's magnetosphere and recorded fluxes of neutrons and gamma quanta from the planet's surface
Mercury is one of the least explored planets in the solar system.
In the entire history of astronautics, only two spacecraft flew to Mercury, and the third mission, BepiColombo, was launched three years ago.
It consists of the European MPO (Mercury Planetary Orbiter), the Japanese MMO (Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter) and the MTM flight module.
It is expected that in December 2025 the spacecraft will enter working polar orbits around Mercury and begin to study its surface and internal structure
The mission will also look for ice deposits and determine the properties of the planet's magnetosphere and exosphere.
On October 1, 2021, the spacecraft first saw their targets up close, completing the first of six gravity assist maneuvers near Mercury.
During the rendezvous, 11 out of 16 scientific instruments on board the BepiColombo operated.
The gamma and neutron spectrometer MGNS has detected fluxes of neutrons and gamma rays generated by the interaction of galactic cosmic rays with the surface layer of the planet's soil, which are similar to those observed by the MESSENGER station.
The PHEBUS ultraviolet spectrometer has detected the presence of hydrogen and calcium in the exosphere of Mercury.
The data obtained by the accelerometer ISA (Italian Spring Accelerometer), which recorded the change in the acceleration of the vehicles in the gravitational field of the planet during the flight, were converted into sound.
The audio recording also included moments corresponding to the vibration of the devices.
In particular, when the PHEBUS device returned to its original position after observations, as well as sounds due to temperature differences.
Scientists have also turned into sound the data collected by the magnetometer, which shows the dynamics of the magnetic field near the planet.
The moment when space vehicles cross the magnetosheath, a highly turbulent boundary region, where the magnetosphere of Mercury meets the solar wind, is clearly audible.
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