Messenger Spacecraft Sends First Image From Mercury's Orbit

[StillBallin75]

Messenger Spacecraft Sends First Image From Mercury's Orbit | News & Opinion | PCMag.com

NASA on Tuesday released an image of Mercury captured by its Messenger spacecraft - the first ever obtained from the planet's orbit.

The first image came in at 5:20am Eastern yesterday, and over the next six hours, Messenger captured an additional 363 images, which are still being transmitted to the Messenger team on Earth. In the next three days, the spacecraft will capture another 1,185 images, with the goal of snapping 75,000 over the next year.

 

[cpgrad08]

Awesome news. Mercury looks like the moon. Am waiting for us to send probes back to Venus I would love more pics of it's surface.

 

[Whovian]

Awesome news. Mercury looks like the moon. Am waiting for us to send probes back to Venus I would love more pics of it's surface.

The surface of Venus.....

 

[StillBallin75]

Awesome news. Mercury looks like the moon. Am waiting for us to send probes back to Venus I would love more pics of it's surface.

The remote sensing equipment would have to penetrate Venus' clouds, or it would have to enter into Venus' atmosphere, so I imagine that mission would be rather costly.

 

[Whovian]

Venera - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

wanderingspace » Blog Archive » The Surface of Venus Revealed

 

[iamitter]

Awesome news. Mercury looks like the moon. Am waiting for us to send probes back to Venus I would love more pics of it's surface.

We'll have to do it with different types of light - not visible.
Anything going into Venus' atmosphere, like in Titan, disintegrates in a matter of minutes.

 

[Whovian]

We'll have to do it with different types of light - not visible.
Anything going into Venus' atmosphere, like in Titan, disintegrates in a matter of minutes.

From my linked piece.

Unfortunately the surface conditions on Venus are extreme, which meant that the probes only survived on the surface for a duration of 23 minutes (initial probes) up to about two hours (final probes).

If the Russians could build probes back in the 60's that would last for a few hours on Venus, we should be able to design one that would last longer today.

 

[iamitter]

From my linked piece.


If the Russians could build probes back in the 60's that would last for a few hours on Venus, we should be able to design one that would last longer today.

Probably not enough to make it worth it though. Electronics advancements haven't exactly been made in the field of resistance to chemical deterioration.

 

[Tashah]

Venus has hellish temperatures, a highly acidic atmosphere, and significant atmospheric surface pressure.

I'm still amazed the Russian probes lasted as long as they did.

 

[cpgrad08]

The remote sensing equipment would have to penetrate Venus' clouds, or it would have to enter into Venus' atmosphere, so I imagine that mission would be rather costly.

Pssh The soviets have sent a bunch of probes to Venus.

 

[Tashah]

Pssh The soviets have sent a bunch of probes to Venus.

Look at the rock shards above. Notice how they are all flattened and very low to the ground? Venusian atmospheric surface pressure forces compaction and low profile.

 

[cpgrad08]

Look at the rock shards above. Notice how they are all flattened and very low to the ground? Venusian atmospheric surface pressure forces compaction and low profile.

I know I just want us to out do the Soviets.

 

[spud_meister]

Pssh The soviets have sent a bunch of probes to Venus.

But have they probed Uranus?

 

[cpgrad08]

But have they probed Uranus?

Yes, but it the probe smelled pretty funky when it got back.

 

[WI Crippler]

Look at the rock shards above. Notice how they are all flattened and very low to the ground? Venusian atmospheric surface pressure forces compaction and low profile.

now I know why women are from there. They do the same thing with mens souls.

 

[Mayor Snorkum]

We'll have to do it with different types of light - not visible.
Anything going into Venus' atmosphere, like in Titan, disintegrates in a matter of minutes.

Oh, the Titan probe didn't disintegrate because of the atmosphere, it's just cold and the batteries ran out.

Venus...too freakin' hot, too much pressure...things down on the surface will melt or implode. Since we can't go there, there's not muc point in exploring it. Funds would be better spent elsewhere. Like on restoring Aries and Orion and going to the Moon.

 

[Mayor Snorkum]

I know I just want us to out do the Soviets.

We have.

The only footprints on the moon are AMERICAN footprints,


not to mention the fact that there are no more Soviets.

 

[Chappy]

But of cource all the craters on the dark side of the Moon have Russian names. America was just a little late for that privilege.

And, I heard that the Tea Party wants to cancel the Messenger budget. It may be broadcasting unique, never before seen data but if the Tea Party people have their way there'll be no one on Earth listening. According to some conservatives, reality has a decidedly liberal bias.

 

[Temporal]

now I know why women are from there. They do the same thing with mens souls.

:rofl:rofl that was too funny!