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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Bringing the Visible Universe into Focus with Robo-AO
Published on: February 12, 2013
Optical system design and integration of the mercury laser altimeter
Luis Ramos-Lzquierdo1, V Stanley Scott, Stephen Schmidt
1NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA. Lramos@pop900.gsfc.nasa.gov
Abstract:
The Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA), developed for the 2004 MESSENGER mission to Mercury, is designed to measure the planet's topography by laser ranging. A description of the MLA optical system and its measured optical performance during instrument-level and spacecraft-level integration and testing are presented.
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