Unraveling the Mysteries of Mercury: A Space Physicist’s Quest to Understand Its Shrinking Secrets

Regarding planets, Mercury represents a realm of extremes – and it’s one that often defies logic. Its iron core is remarkably and inexplicably substantial. In spite of its blistering warmth, ice can be found trapped at its poles. Additionally, it suffers daily from intense solar storms – such as those that Earth encounters merely once a century.

Suzie Imber aspires to enhance our understanding of the planet through her role as a co-researcher with Europe and Japan’s BepiColombo project, which just last week accomplished its final and closest approach to Mercury, assisting in decelerating it ahead of its orbit insertion in 2026. Imber, stationed at the University of Leicester, UK, specializes in space weather and asserts that her investigations of Mercury could equip us to brace for severe solar storms here on Earth. Furthermore, she secured the title of champion in the BBC’s Astronauts: Do you have what it takes? in 2017, a challenge that tested participants against the challenges of space travel.

Imber shared with New Scientist her enthusiasm for launching a mission to Mercury, the insights we aim to gain about this fascinating planet, and whether she may one day embark on an expedition into the final frontier herself.

Jonathan O’Callaghan: What prompts our return to Mercury at this time?

Suzie Imber: There are numerous motivations. From a broad viewpoint, it’s a rather uncharted planet. We’ve conducted three flybys and one orbital mission – NASA’s MESSENGER, which orbited from 2011 to 2015 – but the deeper we delve,…