Mercury Flyby 3 |
Mercury Flyby 3 |
Jul 3 2009, 09:27 PM
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#1
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1018 Joined: 29-November 05 From: Seattle, WA, USA Member No.: 590 |
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 |
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Sep 17 2009, 01:00 AM
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#2
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Member Group: Members Posts: 214 Joined: 30-December 05 Member No.: 628 |
The mission website discussion of the orbital phase does not say much about how the mission will end.
http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/the_mission/orbit.html Maintaining the orbit will require continued fuel consumption. The page does not reveal if, after 12 months or 2 solar days they expect to simply run the tank dry and lose contact with the spacecraft, or what other sort of ending will follow. I have heard no proposals for extending the mission, but somewhere near the end - after completion of all the major objectives a moment may come when otherwise unacceptable risks can be considered. My little suggestion represents just one possibility - maybe not a very strong candidate, but if the mission can end with an attention-grabbing "goodbye" shot, there would be some value in that. Dmuller, thanks for pointing out the big advantage in apparent size still enjoyed by the sun at the present time. |
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Sep 20 2009, 12:56 PM
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#3
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Interplanetary Dumpster Diver Group: Admin Posts: 4405 Joined: 17-February 04 From: Powell, TN Member No.: 33 |
While we are waiting, I have added my Mariner 10 set to my blog http://planetimages.blogspot.com/2009/09/m...at-mercury.html
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