Mercury Flyby 2 Options

[Ian R]

Here's a rough attempt at generating an overhead view:

[Ken90000]

Close Approach has passed. Is there any news about the spacecraft's performance during this critical stage?

[djellison]

The spacecraft doesn't start downlinking for several hours yet.

[Ken90000]

Thanks.

I just figured the spacecraft would be monitored throughout the encounter, and we would have word by now that the spacecraft didn't safe or something similar.

[Greg Hullender]

They have an update

http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/news_room/details.php?id=110

Here's a relevant bit from it:

At a little after 4:40 a.m. EDT, MESSENGER skimmed 200 kilometers (124 miles) above the surface of Mercury . . .
Initial indications from the radio signals indicate that the spacecraft continues to operate nominally.
The first pictures from the flyby will be released around 10:00 a.m. on October 7, 2008.

--Greg

[imipak]

The first pictures from the flyby will be released around 10:00 a.m. on October 7, 2008.

Gak! You know you're living online too long when... your brain automatically labels time values without a TZ as non-conformant

All the other times in the update are given in EST, so presumably that's 1500 UTC / 4pm BST.

[Phil Stooke]

This is a rough fit of the inbound coverage to Steve's map, to give an idea of the locations of features. I took IanR's image (above) and projected it to make the terminator a straight line, then overlaid it on Steve's map and fiddled with the scales until there was a reasonable match between features in the radar images and these new navigation images. There are about 10 or 12 matches between radar and messenger, so I think it's roughly correct. I emphasize roughly though, as the distortions to fit this to the map are very ad hoc.

Phil

[Phil Stooke]

... and here is the last image from the first encounter, processed to emphasize detail on the terminator. The big bite out of the terminator is the other bit of the rim of the 'new' southern basin.

Phil

[Juramike]

Combination of Phil Stooke's image and my image of the Southern Basin:


(Dunno how accurate it is, but it was fun to try!)

-Mike

[Astro0]

Just waiting for the latest images from Messenger to come in, so I thought I'd step outside my office and take a look at the 70-metre dish performing the downlink. Here's a nice view of Deep Space Station 43 currently bringing down the high priority data which should include the full-disk inbound and outbound images from yesterday's flyby.


Astro0

[dmuller]

hey Astro0 ... there's no USB plug on that thing with a cable straight to your PC?

BTW sent you updated script just now

[n1ckdrake]

New image of Mercury.

[tedstryk]

That is amazing! It has the feel of this Mariner-10 image.

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[remcook]

ooo..stripy!
link for description:
http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/gallery/scienc...mp;image_id=214

[3488]

It is indeed.!!!!!!

I've had a go at cropping off & enlargening the previously unseen terrain towards the hermean limb.


Andrew Brown.