Investigators Messenger spacecraft mission further intensify their monitoring. Understandably, NASA's spacecraft was on Friday, March 18, 2011 successfully enters orbit around Mercury. As a result Messenger becomes the first spacecraft to orbit the innermost planet.
"We hope to increase understanding of one of the nearest neighbor planet," said Sean C. Solomon, Messenger mission's principal investigator. The name of this robotic probes stands for MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER).
Spacecraft which was launched on August 2, 2004 it has taken flight as far as 7.9 billion miles and is designed to round the sun with a speed of 104,000 kilometers per hour. Messenger around the sun 15 times and raced across the Earth, Venus, and Mercury, and raced to catch up from Mercury.
Mercury itself is in the grip of gravity of the sun. As a result the planet is touted to be on the edge of hell is around the sun in a year for 88 days with an average speed of 170,600 kilometers per hour.
According to Sean C. Solomon, successfully entered the orbit of Mercury to be the pinnacle of the mission. "This is the biggest achievement Messenger to enter Mercury's orbit," said Messenger Project Manager Peter Bedini, of Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
According to Bedini, this achievement is the fruit of the hard work of team navigation, guidance, and control. Do not miss the mission that guides the operation of the aircraft to travel as far as 7.9 billion miles.
Messenger is now at about 46 million kilometers from the sun and about 155 million kilometers from Earth. After experiencing a burning, 600 Newton-power engine it will be "parked" within 12 hours in orbit Mercury.
One of the most expected answer from the Messenger mission is whether Mercury's hide ice water in a dark crater? Moon has craters like this. Indeed, temperatures over 370 degrees Celsius "grilling area of Mercury's equator. But the temperature in the crater near the poles remains at minus 183 degrees Celsius.
"This region is not highlighted the sun for millions, perhaps billions of years," Solomon said. "Very cool. Enough to keep the water ice cold in a long period of geologic time."
If all goes according to plan, Messenger, parked for 12 hours, it becomes very unique. This vehicle is located at a low point 200 miles above the surface of the planet and the furthest point of more than 15.193 kilometers.
To conduct research, Messenger includes cameras with narrow and wide angle lenses, and laser altimeter to map the surface of Mercury. There is also a spectrometer to investigate the composition of rocks and planetary atmospheres.
Magnetometer will study how the magnetic field on the planet's liquid core and form 60 percent of Mercury's mass interacts with the solar wind.
After orbiting Mercury, the Messenger took the pictures on 4 April 2011. This vehicle will stay in orbit for four years. His mission may be extended for one or two years if NASA's budget allows. When the fuel runs out and no additional funds, the spacecraft will crash into the surface of Mercury.
*** [UNTUNG WIDYANTO | CNN | BBC | KORAN TEMPO 3478]
Kindly Bookmark and Share it:
Related posts:
Archives
,
Astronomy
Investigators Messenger spacecraft mission further intensify their monitoring. Understandably, NASA's spacecraft was on Friday, March 18, 2011 successfully enters orbit around Mercury. As a result Messenger becomes the first spacecraft to orbit the innermost planet.
"We hope to increase understanding of one of the nearest neighbor planet," said Sean C. Solomon, Messenger mission's principal investigator. The name of this robotic probes stands for MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER).
Spacecraft which was launched on August 2, 2004 it has taken flight as far as 7.9 billion miles and is designed to round the sun with a speed of 104,000 kilometers per hour. Messenger around the sun 15 times and raced across the Earth, Venus, and Mercury, and raced to catch up from Mercury.
Mercury itself is in the grip of gravity of the sun. As a result the planet is touted to be on the edge of hell is around the sun in a year for 88 days with an average speed of 170,600 kilometers per hour.
According to Sean C. Solomon, successfully entered the orbit of Mercury to be the pinnacle of the mission. "This is the biggest achievement Messenger to enter Mercury's orbit," said Messenger Project Manager Peter Bedini, of Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
According to Bedini, this achievement is the fruit of the hard work of team navigation, guidance, and control. Do not miss the mission that guides the operation of the aircraft to travel as far as 7.9 billion miles.
Messenger is now at about 46 million kilometers from the sun and about 155 million kilometers from Earth. After experiencing a burning, 600 Newton-power engine it will be "parked" within 12 hours in orbit Mercury.
One of the most expected answer from the Messenger mission is whether Mercury's hide ice water in a dark crater? Moon has craters like this. Indeed, temperatures over 370 degrees Celsius "grilling area of Mercury's equator. But the temperature in the crater near the poles remains at minus 183 degrees Celsius.
"This region is not highlighted the sun for millions, perhaps billions of years," Solomon said. "Very cool. Enough to keep the water ice cold in a long period of geologic time."
If all goes according to plan, Messenger, parked for 12 hours, it becomes very unique. This vehicle is located at a low point 200 miles above the surface of the planet and the furthest point of more than 15.193 kilometers.
To conduct research, Messenger includes cameras with narrow and wide angle lenses, and laser altimeter to map the surface of Mercury. There is also a spectrometer to investigate the composition of rocks and planetary atmospheres.
Magnetometer will study how the magnetic field on the planet's liquid core and form 60 percent of Mercury's mass interacts with the solar wind.
After orbiting Mercury, the Messenger took the pictures on 4 April 2011. This vehicle will stay in orbit for four years. His mission may be extended for one or two years if NASA's budget allows. When the fuel runs out and no additional funds, the spacecraft will crash into the surface of Mercury. *** [UNTUNG WIDYANTO | CNN | BBC | KORAN TEMPO 3478]
