Mercury Landers |
Mercury Landers |
Aug 15 2005, 03:36 PM
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#1
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Member Group: Members Posts: 212 Joined: 19-July 05 Member No.: 442 |
While the likelyhood of a Mercury Lander mission is very low, I was wondering if any planning/studies have been done on such a project?
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Aug 15 2005, 04:13 PM
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#2
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Junior Member Group: Members Posts: 43 Joined: 31-May 05 From: Bloomington, Minnesota Member No.: 397 |
The European 'BepiColumbo' mission planned for the next decade included a lander at once point, but it was cut. I believe this mission also included multiple orbiters and a collaboration with JAXA... but I'm not sure off the top of my head.
I don't see why it would be particularly difficult.. as long as it landed either during the day or the night.. I can't imaging a spacecraft withstanding the temperature difference between them. |
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Aug 15 2005, 07:05 PM
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#3
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2488 Joined: 17-April 05 From: Glasgow, Scotland, UK Member No.: 239 |
QUOTE (Patteroast @ Aug 15 2005, 05:13 PM) The European 'BepiColumbo' mission planned for the next decade included a lander at once point, but it was cut. I believe this mission also included multiple orbiters and a collaboration with JAXA... but I'm not sure off the top of my head. I don't see why it would be particularly difficult.. as long as it landed either during the day or the night.. I can't imaging a spacecraft withstanding the temperature difference between them. The problem isn't so much the engineering - a nice vaccuum, and abundant solar power are hardly the worst-case scenarios for a spacecraft - but the Delta-V requirements. Mercury is an expensive place to reach, and is substantially bigger than the Moon, so you have to expend more effort once you get there. Personally, I'd leave it until some alternative propulsion method was found - solar/ion engine, Prometheus, solar sail, whatever. -------------------- Remember: Time Flies like the wind - but Fruit Flies like bananas!
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