Mercury Flyby 3 Options

[Greg Hullender]

We're now just one Mercury year (88 days) from flyby #3, which happens on September 29, 2009, so this seems like a good time to start a thread about it.

http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/index.php

For comparison purposes, it'd be nice if someone (probably someone on the Messenger team) put together a Mercury Map showing what areas will get better coverage from this flyby than from the previous ones. I realize it'll be very similar to flyby #1, but it won't be exactly the same.

After that, it's a long wait until MOI on March 18, 2011. Curiously, that's the same date the New Horizons crosses the orbit of Uranus.

http://pluto.jhuapl.edu/mission/passingpla...ets_current.php


--Greg

[Phil Stooke]

From a global point of view I don't think there will be any significant extension of coverage this time. The important thing will be the chance to extend the area covered by the highest resolution images shortly before and after closest approach. Things happen so fast near closest approach that only a small area can be seen in the highest resolution images. This time it will be possible to image areas not covered at highest resolution before, or to plan images to give good stereo viewing when combined with the earlier images. So, lots of opportunity to do good things, but not really any chance of increasing coverage.

Phil