The MESSENGER Spacecraft is the first ever to orbit Mercury. Mission objectives include the study of Mercury's density, geologic history, magnetic field, core, and surface materials. USGS computer scientist Kris Becker provides Integrated Software for Imagers and Spectrometers (ISIS) support for the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) framing camera and the production of maps for mission planning and scientific analysis. A dozen other USGS computer scientists and cartographers are contributing to software development, Digital Elevation Model (DEM) creation, control network generation, and the creation of global controlled basemaps.
See Also
- BBC article and audio interview with USGS computer scientist Kris Becker
- CBS article and video about the MESSENGER mission