MESSENGER ARRIVES, Mercury Orbit Insertion |
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MESSENGER ARRIVES, Mercury Orbit Insertion |
 Mar 21 2011, 04:13 AM
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#61
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Senior Member  Group: Members Posts: 1018 Joined: 29-November 05 From: Seattle, WA, USA Member No.: 590  |
QUOTE (tanjent @ Mar 20 2011, 08:09 AM)  I can't load Greg's "where is Messenger" link. Seems to be working now: http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/whereis/index.php Perhaps they do site maintenance on Sundays. --Greg |
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Mar 21 2011, 06:41 PM
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#62
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 Director of Galilean Photography Group: Members Posts: 896 Joined: 15-July 04 From: Austin, TX Member No.: 93 |
QUOTE (Drkskywxlt @ Mar 18 2011, 02:10 PM) Too bad MESSENGER probably won't be around in 2016 when Juno arrives at Jupiter to make it 9! Ah, but May 2014 will have Rosetta orbiting Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko (can we start calling it C-G now?  ), so if it made it to 2014, it would make operating spacecraft around 10 solar system objects!
-------------------- Space Enthusiast Richard Hendricks
-- "The engineers, as usual, made a tremendous fuss. Again as usual, they did the job in half the time they had dismissed as being absolutely impossible." --Rescue Party, Arthur C Clarke Mother Nature is the final inspector of all quality. |
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Mar 22 2011, 09:59 AM
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#63
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 Interplanetary Dumpster Diver Group: Admin Posts: 4404 Joined: 17-February 04 From: Powell, TN Member No.: 33 |
QUOTE (hendric @ Mar 21 2011, 06:41 PM) (can we start calling it C-G now? Nope, and you have to say it fast five times every time you mention it. -------------------- |
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Mar 25 2011, 08:52 PM
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#64
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 The Poet Dude Group: Moderator Posts: 5551 Joined: 15-March 04 From: Kendal, Cumbria, UK Member No.: 60 |
Really wanted to get this pic to mark MESSENGER's arrival, so tonight I hiked up to the castle even with my knackered knee...!
Four days before MESSENGER starts photographing Mercury - Mercury seen from Kendal: http://twitpic.com/4d8896 -------------------- |
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Mar 25 2011, 10:51 PM
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#65
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Member Group: Members Posts: 100 Joined: 25-April 08 From: near New York City, NY Member No.: 4103 |
Nice shot!
It's good to get a wide-angle view (like yours) before getting the close-up (MESSENGER's). P.S., if anyone hasn't seen Mercury in the evening sky - low in the west 30 minutes after sunset - do it now as Mercury is fading fast (from Earth's point of view). bob http://bkellysky.wordpress.com/ |
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Mar 25 2011, 11:00 PM
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#66
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The Poet Dude Group: Moderator Posts: 5551 Joined: 15-March 04 From: Kendal, Cumbria, UK Member No.: 60 |
Thanks
Even wider angle shot...http://twitpic.com/4d88na (Mercury's a bit hard to see - you need to enlarge the image by putting your cursor at the pic's top right to bring up an "enlarge" optionm then you'll see Mercury between the tower and tree. You might need to squint, but it's there. Honest. 
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Mar 25 2011, 11:44 PM
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#67
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Member Group: Members Posts: 100 Joined: 25-April 08 From: near New York City, NY Member No.: 4103 |
*Sigh*
That's wonderful! My photos were taken from a high school football field's bleachers. Your shot was worth the climb! |
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Mar 26 2011, 08:17 PM
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#68
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Member Group: Members Posts: 540 Joined: 17-November 05 From: Oklahoma Member No.: 557 |
Everything seems to be going okay so far.
Spaceflight Now Link "Engineers switched on six of MESSENGER's seven science instruments Wednesday to start commissioning and calibrations ..." |
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Mar 29 2011, 04:17 AM
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#69
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1018 Joined: 29-November 05 From: Seattle, WA, USA Member No.: 590 |
First pics tomorrow. Will anyone attend the press conference?
http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/news_room/details.php?id=164 |
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Mar 29 2011, 04:28 AM
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#70
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 Senior Member Group: Admin Posts: 3108 Joined: 21-December 05 From: Canberra, Australia Member No.: 615 |
It's a 'teleconference' so any media only need to phone-in.
Plus anyone can listen in via the News Audio Stream. |
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Mar 29 2011, 04:32 AM
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#71
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 Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8783 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
IIRC, some of the first images will be of a previously unobserved region near the North Pole?
-------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Mar 29 2011, 04:35 AM
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#72
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 Administrator Group: Admin Posts: 5172 Joined: 4-August 05 From: Pasadena, CA, USA, Earth Member No.: 454 |
I *think* Louise said south pole. It's gonna be one of the poles though. I'll be phoning in for the telecon. If anybody thinks of a great question to ask, post here or Tweet me
-------------------- My website - My Patreon - @elakdawalla on Twitter - Please support unmannedspaceflight.com by donating here.
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Mar 29 2011, 04:40 AM
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#73
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Merciless Robot Group: Admin Posts: 8783 Joined: 8-December 05 From: Los Angeles Member No.: 602 |
Well, not a 'great' question, but what is the expected resolution of the first images, and what other instruments will be acquiring data?
-------------------- A few will take this knowledge and use this power of a dream realized as a force for change, an impetus for further discovery to make less ancient dreams real.
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Mar 29 2011, 07:51 AM
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#74
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 Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3648 Joined: 1-October 05 From: Croatia Member No.: 523 |
South pole it is.
http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/gallery/scienc...mp;image_id=429 -------------------- |
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Mar 29 2011, 09:42 AM
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#75
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Newbie Group: Members Posts: 6 Joined: 11-April 09 From: Sweden Member No.: 4726 |
QUOTE (elakdawalla @ Mar 29 2011, 06:35 AM) If anybody thinks of a great question to ask, post here or Tweet me I am curious about the orbital period of the MESSENGER spacecraft. Is it exactly 12 hours? If so, how was it chosen? |
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