Messenger enters Mercury Orbit.

TheMightyTen

TheMightyTen

TheMightyTen

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Did a search and surprised no one has mentioned this today.

Messenger appears to have successfully entered the orbit of Mercury in preparation for the scientific observations to begin on April 4th.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-12761025

http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/messenger/main/index.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MESSENGER

This is one mission I am really excited about, a real chance to investigate another dipolar magnetosphere other than ours and to observe the effects the Suns battering has on it. Also with approximate temperature ranges from -180°C to 430°C some scientists believe that there is a good chance of finding water ice in the permanent shadow areas of some of the craters.

Some facts about Mercury
Diameter: 3031 miles
Average distance from Sun: 0.39 AU (Orbital aphelion 70 million km, perihelion 46 million km)
1 Year = 88.97 days
1 day = 58.6 days
Mercury has no seasons since it's axis of rotation is directly perpendicular to it's solar orbit.
Mercury probably has a liquid iron core like Earth giving it a dipolar magnetosphere
 
Thanks for those simulatorman, I always like seeing the sheer joy on a teams face when their baby safely arrives at it's location in the Solar system, particularly with this one when you consider how many passes it's made of Venus and Mercury to get into position, that is some complicated maths! :D
 
WOW! Thats good old Mariner 10 which NASA lost contact with since 1975 :eek:

mariner10.png


;);)

ps3ud0 :cool:
 
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