Landing on Mercury on equator at perihelion Options

[Rem31]

How will it be to make a manned landing at Mercury at its closest to the sun (perihelion) on its equator when the sun is in the zenith ,what are the dangers of a landing then? Do we need to be protected against the sunheat and radiation then? How strong is the heat and radiation of the sun then ,and is it dangerous when the solaractivity is high then? What kind of spacesuits do we need then? Better protected suits than we have used on the apollo moonlandings i think. Can you explain how a landing on Mercury will be when it is at perihelion and land on its equator with the sun directly overhead? I hope it will ever happen. Lets start discuss about it.

[Guest_Richard Trigaux_*]

An ion drive would do well on a trajectory to Mercury. Plenty of solar energy.


I cannot calculate if such a trajectory is feasible, but I well see a probe launched at 11km/s from Earth on a sun orbit, spiraling closer an closer from Mercury orbit, until it is caugh in orbit around it. Then it continues braking with its ion drive untill it is on a low orbit. After of course a classical chemical rocket is necessary to land.

Such a mission would need much less fuel than braking all the speed from a direct approach with only a chemical rocket. So it removes part of the cost problem.


I feel that Mercury is not just the grey and boring world we currently imagine. Interesting and unusual geology may exist near the poles if there are sulphur deposits. And where this sulphur would come from? Volcanoes! Oh, better: sulphate rocks from an ancient ocean!!!

I think it is simply incredible that Mercury just stopped any large scale geologic activity sooner than the much smaller Moon. There is a mistery, worth at least an orbiter. With ion drive, it would not be so costy.