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11 Amazing Images From the Final Days of NASA's Messenger Probe
BY EVAN DASHEVSKY
PC Mag, APRIL 30, 2015
All spacecraft must die, but not all spacecraft really live. And for the past four years, NASA's Messenger spacecraft lived as few spacecraft have: making history as the very first spacecraft to orbit Mercury, the closest planet to the sun.
Ever since entering Mercury's orbit on March 18, 2011, Messenger has given project scientists (and by extension, humanity) an unprecedented up-close view of the tiny, rocky planet. Over the course of its mission, the spacecraft has been the source of several startling discoveries, including that of a tenuous (and season-prone!) atmosphere, past volcanic activity, and even small collections of water ice hidden in the shadows of craters in the polar region. That last discovery is particularly nuts considering that daytime temperatures at the Mercurian equator can top 800 degrees.
[font color="blue"]But that will all come to an end today when—at precisely 3:26 p.m. ET—Mercury's surface will receive one more crater when Messenger crashes into the planet's surface due to a dwindling supply of propellant and the effects of solar gravity.[/font color] (If you were wondering, scientists are predicting that the ensuing man-made crater will be 52 feet in diameter).
Unfortunately—from a voyeuristic vantage point—the Earth will not get a clear shot of the impact. But space p0rn aficionados, do not despair! Over the past month, the probe has dutifully added to its library of more than 270,000 images with some beautiful close-ups of the planet's surface.
SOURCE: http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow/story/334105/11-amazing-images-from-the-final-days-of-nasa-s-messenger-pr
BY EVAN DASHEVSKY
PC Mag, APRIL 30, 2015
All spacecraft must die, but not all spacecraft really live. And for the past four years, NASA's Messenger spacecraft lived as few spacecraft have: making history as the very first spacecraft to orbit Mercury, the closest planet to the sun.
Ever since entering Mercury's orbit on March 18, 2011, Messenger has given project scientists (and by extension, humanity) an unprecedented up-close view of the tiny, rocky planet. Over the course of its mission, the spacecraft has been the source of several startling discoveries, including that of a tenuous (and season-prone!) atmosphere, past volcanic activity, and even small collections of water ice hidden in the shadows of craters in the polar region. That last discovery is particularly nuts considering that daytime temperatures at the Mercurian equator can top 800 degrees.
[font color="blue"]But that will all come to an end today when—at precisely 3:26 p.m. ET—Mercury's surface will receive one more crater when Messenger crashes into the planet's surface due to a dwindling supply of propellant and the effects of solar gravity.[/font color] (If you were wondering, scientists are predicting that the ensuing man-made crater will be 52 feet in diameter).
Unfortunately—from a voyeuristic vantage point—the Earth will not get a clear shot of the impact. But space p0rn aficionados, do not despair! Over the past month, the probe has dutifully added to its library of more than 270,000 images with some beautiful close-ups of the planet's surface.
SOURCE: http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow/story/334105/11-amazing-images-from-the-final-days-of-nasa-s-messenger-pr
PS: You are most welcome, 2banon! Space exploration IS fascinating.
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