The Mercury Gamma and Neutron Spectrometer (MGNS) on board the Planetary Orbiter of the BepiColombo mission

The main goals and objectives are presented for the Mercury Gamma and Neutron Spectrometer (MGNS) to be flown on board the Mercury Planetary Orbiter of ESAs BepiColombo mission. The instrument design is discussed and from an analysis of its properties, it is shown that the MGNS is capable of measuring the elemental composition of the shallow subsurface, providing a sensitive tool to discriminate between a number of proposed models for Mercury's origin. The instrument will also test for the presence of water ice deposits on the permanently shadowed polar craters of the planet.