Will the MESSENGER probe discover evidence of water on Mercury?
As MESSENGER flew past the night side of Mercury in January, its Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer (FIPS) scooped up ions from an atmosphere so tenuous that it's usually called an "exosphere." FIPS measured the expected amounts of ions like sodium, potassium, and calcium that had previously been detected in Mercury's exosphere, but to the science team's great surprise there was also water present, and in large amounts....
The particles that MESSENGER can find near Mercury got there as a result of the solar wind bombarding Mercury's surface, reacting chemically, and knocking off atoms or molecules, a process called chemical sputtering. In a way, then, when FIPS scoops up particles from Mercury's atmosphere, it is really tasting the chemical composition of Mercury's surface.
http://www.planetary.org/news/2008/0703_MESSENGER_Scientists_Astonished_to.html
Background:
Settlement details:As reported by the New York Times or BBC or Reuters.
Water includes ice and other non-liquid forms of H2O.
| Yes |
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| No |
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- Activity: H$119,519 |
- Predictions: 714 |
Comments: 11
Suspend date: Wed 11th Jul 2012 11:59pm PST (2 years to go)
Settlement date: Sat 7th Feb 4:05pm PST
Initial likelihoods: Yes: 75%
Action history:
lesley
otrading
: 4 years until suspension 
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: http://www.planetary.org/news/2008/0703_MESSENGER_Scientists_Astonished_to.html 
tisha
: As MESSENGER flew past the night side of Mercury in January, its Fast Imaging Plasma Spectrometer (FIPS) scooped up ions from an atmosphere so tenuous that it's usually called an "exosphere." FIPS measured the expected amounts of ions like sodium, potassium, and calcium that had previously been detected in Mercury's exosphere, but to the science team's great surprise there was also water present, and in large amounts....
The particles that MESSENGER can find near Mercury got there as a result of the solar wind bombarding Mercury's surface, reacting chemically, and knocking off atoms or molecules, a process called chemical sputtering. In a way, then, when FIPS scoops up particles from Mercury's atmosphere, it is really tasting the chemical composition of Mercury's surface.
http://www.planetary.org/news/2008/0703_MESSENGER_Scientists_Astonished_to.html
Suspend date: Wed 11th Jul 2012 11:59pm PST (2 years to go)
Settlement date: Sat 7th Feb 4:05pm PST details 
Get widget!Predictions (714)
capecodviking![[Power User]](http://www.hubdub.com/images/icon_superuser.gif "This user is a super user"){kind=icon}
predicted Yes (H$2 at 30%)
predicted No (H$50 at 70%)
zusiman
predicted Yes (H$20 at 30%)
oppugner
curios predicted Yes (H$100 at 29%)Comments (11)
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Does this include evidence of previous water? For example, evidence of erosion caused by a moving body of water that has since evaporated and is no longer on that planet?
is a good news article
Plumes spewing from Saturn moon may contain water
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20081126/D94MTK0O1.html
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