Chatroom
 

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

Go Back   Bad Astronomy and Universe Today Forum > Science and Space > Space Exploration
Reload this Page MESSENGER's first flyby of Mercury
Register FAQ Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read

   

Reply
Page 1 of 3 1 23
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)  
Old 07-January-2008, 07:50 PM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default MESSENGER's first flyby of Mercury
Johns Hopkins MESSENGER

Mercury Flyby 1
2008 January 14

7 Days, 2 Hours, 15 Minutes (Their web page may assume local time is EST; seems 3 hours off for local PST; Edit: I reported the problem and they applied a fix overnight. Countdown should be correct for all timezones.)

About 1 week to first Mercury flyby

JHUAPL: Mercury Flyby 1

Quote:
On January 14, 2008, more than three decades after the third Mariner 10 flyby, the last spacecraft visit of Mercury, MESSENGER will pass 200 kilometers above Mercury's surface. Extensive scientific observations are planned during this flyby encounter, including imaging a large portion of Mercury's surface that has never before been seen by a spacecraft.
See there simulations of plans, calendar of events, interviews, movies and images when available.

Closest approach
January 14, 2008, 11:04:39 PST
January 14, 2008, 14:04:39 EST
January 14, 2008, 19:04:39 UTC
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Last edited by 01101001; 10-January-2008 at 07:59 AM..
Reply With Quote
  #2 (permalink)  
Old 07-January-2008, 08:59 PM
antoniseb's Avatar
antoniseb antoniseb is offline
Administrator
  
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Berlin MA
Posts: 16,011
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by 01101001 View Post
January 14, 2008, 14:04:39 EST
I've been looking forward to it.
__________________
Forming opinions as we speak
Reply With Quote
  #3 (permalink)  
Old 10-January-2008, 12:56 AM
Lord Jubjub's Avatar
Lord Jubjub Lord Jubjub is offline
Established Member
  
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Land of Storm and Chaos
Posts: 1,886
Default
PICTURES HAVE BEEN TAKEN!

But according to the Planetary Society, they will not be released until the news conference tomorrow.
__________________
Keeper of the Jabberwock
Reply With Quote
  #4 (permalink)  
Old 10-January-2008, 01:12 AM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lord Jubjub View Post
PICTURES HAVE BEEN TAKEN!







OK. I am mean. Those are Mariner images (from here).
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Reply With Quote
  #5 (permalink)  
Old 10-January-2008, 06:02 PM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default
Teleconference underway. Don't see any access at the moment. Oh...
Live Audio stream

Teleconference page: MESSENGER Prepares for its First Flyby of Mercury
Date: June [should be January] 10, 2008 at 1 p.m. EST

Multimedia page for teleconference (all diagrams so far...)

Image: We have Mercury in our sights



Image without text: MESSENGER Readies for Its Encounter with Mercury
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Reply With Quote
  #6 (permalink)  
Old 10-January-2008, 08:04 PM
Kullat Nunu's Avatar
Kullat Nunu Kullat Nunu is offline
Established Member
  
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Earth
Posts: 2,808
Send a message via MSN to Kullat Nunu Send a message via Skype™ to Kullat Nunu
Default
First image of Mercury by a probe in over 30 years...
__________________
Science is a way of trying not to fool yourself. The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool.
-- Richard Feynman
Reply With Quote
  #7 (permalink)  
Old 10-January-2008, 09:39 PM
KaiYeves's Avatar
KaiYeves KaiYeves is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Currently on assignment on planet shown in avatar photo
Posts: 10,023
Default
Quote:
OK. I am mean. Those are Mariner images
Bantha brain.
__________________
I want to go back to the moon.
I don't care which rocket you use, whichever one you pick, I'll like it, I swear.
"If you think the LHC will create black holes, you might as well believe Hobbits are at the bottom of your garden."- Dr. Mike Inglis
Rovers forever! - ToSeek
Reply With Quote
  #8 (permalink)  
Old 10-January-2008, 10:55 PM
parallaxicality's Avatar
parallaxicality parallaxicality is offline
Established Member
  
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,774
Default
Any chance of getting a podcast of that conference?
__________________
There is a growing tendancy to think of Man as a rational, thinking being, which is absurd.- Marvin the Martian.

It's gotten to the point where careful investigation is needed just to tell parody from reality. I think that means reality is broken.- Noclevername.
Reply With Quote
  #9 (permalink)  
Old 11-January-2008, 07:19 PM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default Just under 3 days to first Mercury flyby
Johns Hopkins MESSENGER

Mercury Flyby 1
2008 January 14

2 Days, 23 Hours, 45 Minutes

Information about Mercury Flyby 1

About 3 days to first Mercury flyby

Closest approach
January 14, 2008, 11:04:39 PST
January 14, 2008, 14:04:39 EST
January 14, 2008, 19:04:39 UTC
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Reply With Quote
  #10 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 03:04 AM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default 16 hours to first Mercury flyby
Johns Hopkins MESSENGER

Mercury Flyby 1
2008 January 14

0 Days, 16 Hours, 00 Minutes

Information about Mercury Flyby 1

MESSENGER Mission Gallery




16 hours to first Mercury flyby

Closest approach
January 14, 2008, 11:04:39 PST
January 14, 2008, 14:04:39 EST
January 14, 2008, 19:04:39 UTC
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Last edited by 01101001; 14-January-2008 at 06:56 AM..
Reply With Quote
  #11 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 07:04 AM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default 12 hours to first Mercury flyby
Image: Countdown to MESSENGER's Closest Approach with Mercury



Quote:
Today, January 14, 2008, at 19:04:39 UTC (2:04:39 pm EST), MESSENGER will experience its closest approach to Mercury, passing just 200 kilometers (124 miles) above the planet's surface. As the MESSENGER spacecraft continues to speed toward Mercury, the Narrow Angle Camera, part of the Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS) instrument, acquired this crescent view of Mercury. The image was taken on January 13, 2008, when the spacecraft was at a distance of about 760,000 kilometers (470,000 miles) from Mercury. Mercury is about 4880 kilometers (about 3030 miles) in diameter, and the smallest feature visible in this image is about 20 kilometers (12 miles) across.
[...]
Image acquired on January 13, 2008, 06:34 UTC.
12 hours to first Mercury flyby

Closest approach
January 14, 2008, 11:04:39 PST
January 14, 2008, 14:04:39 EST
January 14, 2008, 19:04:39 UTC
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Reply With Quote
  #12 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 04:04 PM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default 3 hours to flyby
Mercury Flyby Dynamic Visualization shows approach movie-making almost at end, and about 100 minutes away from 3-hour frenetic data gathering period.

Encounter timeline at Planetary Society news: MESSENGER Set for First Spacecraft Swing Past Mercury in 33 Years

3 hours to flyby.

Closest approach
January 14, 2008, 11:04:39 PST
January 14, 2008, 14:04:39 EST
January 14, 2008, 19:04:39 UTC
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Last edited by 01101001; 14-January-2008 at 05:20 PM..
Reply With Quote
  #13 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 04:30 PM
parallaxicality's Avatar
parallaxicality parallaxicality is offline
Established Member
  
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 2,774
Default
How much will this add to the map?
__________________
There is a growing tendancy to think of Man as a rational, thinking being, which is absurd.- Marvin the Martian.

It's gotten to the point where careful investigation is needed just to tell parody from reality. I think that means reality is broken.- Noclevername.
Reply With Quote
  #14 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 05:30 PM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default 94 minutes to flyby
Quote:
Originally Posted by parallaxicality View Post
How much will this add to the map?
A lot. I haven't seen, like, a percent-increase comparison.

NASA MESSENGER Mission: NASA Spacecraft to Make Historic Flyby of Mercury

Quote:
"During this flyby we will begin to image the hemisphere that has never been seen by a spacecraft and Mercury at resolutions better than those acquired by Mariner 10," said Sean C. Solomon, MESSENGER principal investigator, Carnegie Institution of Washington. "Images will be in a number of different color filters so that we can start to get an idea of the composition of the surface."
I think I read that the three flybys will finish with most of Mercury mapped -- and then, of course, when orbit is achieved then it starts being really covered.
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Reply With Quote
  #15 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 05:33 PM
BetaDust's Avatar
BetaDust BetaDust is offline
Established Member
  
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 923
Default
The Coundtdown to Insertion Burn counter on the jhuapl site reads all zero's,
And The Countdown to Closest Approach reeds 22HRS 25MIN 45SEC.
Does Anybody else have the same Problem?

Thanx.

Dennis
__________________
________________________________________
Your theory is crazy, but it's not crazy enough to be true. -- Niels Bohr --

Ipsa scientia potestas est. ~ Knowledge itself is power.---- Bacon
--------
Ad eundum quo nemo ante iit.


Hint: this is at heart a scientific forum, and underneath the fooling around there are some diamond-hard minds hanging about, ready to tear you to shreads. -- mike alexander --
Reply With Quote
  #16 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 05:43 PM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default 81 minutes to flyby
Three-hour Encounter Observations start now

Flyby Dynamic Visualization

Quote:
Conditions at 14 Jan 2008 17:43:56 UTC

Primary Instrument [wide-angle camera]
Time Until Closest Approach: 01:20:46 (hh:mm:ss)
Altitude: 27,114 km (16,848 mi)
Visible Surface Sunlit: 25.2%
NAC Resolution At Image Center: 717.48 m/pixel
WAC Resolution At Image Center: 5.02 km/pixel
Surface Coordinates At Image Center: 2.59 º N 252.33 º E
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Last edited by 01101001; 14-January-2008 at 06:08 PM..
Reply With Quote
  #17 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 05:49 PM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default
Quote:
Originally Posted by BetaDust View Post
The Coundtdown to Insertion Burn counter on the jhuapl site reads all zero's,
And The Countdown to Closest Approach reeds 22HRS 25MIN 45SEC.
Does Anybody else have the same Problem?
Looks well to me. The numbers make sense. It uses your computer's time, so make sure that's set correctly.

It's Javascript. It could have bugs. (They fixed one for me upon complaint, that the computer's timezone was ignored and assumed to be EST.)
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Reply With Quote
  #18 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 05:53 PM
BetaDust's Avatar
BetaDust BetaDust is offline
Established Member
  
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 923
Default
Thanx,

And real thanx for the Link in your previous post,
Dont need that clock now anymore. :-)

Thanx again.

Dennis
__________________
________________________________________
Your theory is crazy, but it's not crazy enough to be true. -- Niels Bohr --

Ipsa scientia potestas est. ~ Knowledge itself is power.---- Bacon
--------
Ad eundum quo nemo ante iit.


Hint: this is at heart a scientific forum, and underneath the fooling around there are some diamond-hard minds hanging about, ready to tear you to shreads. -- mike alexander --
Reply With Quote
  #19 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 06:05 PM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default 60 minutes to flyby
Flyby Dynamic Visualization

Quote:
Conditions at 14 Jan 2008 18:04:22 UTC

Primary Instrument No major observation ongoing
Time Until Closest Approach: 01:00:20 (hh:mm:ss)
Altitude: 19,875 km (12,350 mi)
Visible Surface Sunlit: 22.9%
NAC Resolution At Image Center: None
WAC Resolution At Image Center: None
Surface Coordinates At Image Center: None
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Reply With Quote
  #20 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 06:20 PM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default 45 minutes to flyby
Conditions at 14 Jan 2008 18:19:11 UTC

Primary Instrument [UV Spec]
Time Until Closest Approach: 00:45:31 (hh:mm:ss)
Altitude: 14,615 km (9,081 mi)
Visible Surface Sunlit: 20.1%
NAC Resolution At Image Center: None
WAC Resolution At Image Center: None
Surface Coordinates At Sensor Center: None
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Reply With Quote
  #21 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 06:34 PM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default 30 minutes to flyby
Conditions at 14 Jan 2008 18:34:00 UTC

Primary Instrument [UV Spec]
Time Until Closest Approach: 00:30:42 (hh:mm:ss)
Altitude: 9,353 km (5,812 mi)
Visible Surface Sunlit: 14.8%
NAC Resolution At Image Center: None
WAC Resolution At Image Center: None
Surface Coordinates At Sensor Center: None

(About 20 minutes to eclipse, entering Mercury's shadow for 13 minutes at 185415 UTC)
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Reply With Quote
  #22 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 06:44 PM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default 20 minutes to flyby
Conditions at 14 Jan 2008 18:44:21 UTC

Primary Instrument [UV Spec]
Time Until Closest Approach: 00:20:21 (hh:mm:ss)
Altitude: 5,705 km (3,545 mi)
Visible Surface Sunlit: 8.1%
NAC Resolution At Image Center: None
WAC Resolution At Image Center: None
Surface Coordinates At Sensor Center: None
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Reply With Quote
  #23 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 06:56 PM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default 10 minutes
Conditions at 14 Jan 2008 18:54:51 UTC

Primary Instrument [none]
Time Until Closest Approach: 00:09:51 (hh:mm:ss)
Altitude: 2,178 km (1,353 mi)
Visible Surface Sunlit: 0.0%
NAC Resolution At Image Center: 74.70 m/pixel
WAC Resolution At Image Center: 522.87 m/pixel
Surface Coordinates At Image Center: 1.36 º N 10.83 º E

(Dynamic Visualization is probably suffering from a load. Updates are lagging.)

Entering eclipse.
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Reply With Quote
  #24 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 06:59 PM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default 5 minutes
3 minutes from start of firing laser cannon. (Laser altimetry is major activity during close approach.)

Conditions at 14 Jan 2008 18:59:16 UTC

Primary Instrument [none]
Time Until Closest Approach: 00:05:26 (hh:mm:ss)
Altitude: 937 km (582 mi)
Visible Surface Sunlit: 0.0%
NAC Resolution At Image Center: None
WAC Resolution At Image Center: None
Surface Coordinates At Image Center: None

Less than 1000 km!
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Reply With Quote
  #25 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 07:04 PM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default 1 minute
Conditions at 14 Jan 2008 19:03:31 UTC

Primary Instrument [laser]
Time Until Closest Approach: 00:01:11 (hh:mm:ss)
Altitude: 240 km (149 mi)
Visible Surface Sunlit: 0.0%
NAC Resolution At Image Center: 12.30 m/pixel
WAC Resolution At Image Center: 86.09 m/pixel
Surface Coordinates At Sensor Center: 1.87 º S 17.85 º E
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Last edited by 01101001; 14-January-2008 at 07:36 PM..
Reply With Quote
  #26 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 07:05 PM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default Closest approach now!
We are now leaving Mercury.

Conditions at 14 Jan 2008 19:05:08 UTC

Primary Instrument [laser]
Time Since Closest Approach: 00:00:26 (hh:mm:ss)
Altitude: 205 km (128 mi)
Visible Surface Sunlit: 0.0%
NAC Resolution At Image Center: 7.18 m/pixel
WAC Resolution At Image Center: 50.28 m/pixel
Surface Coordinates At Sensor Center: 3.99 º S 37.57 º E
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Reply With Quote
  #27 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 07:11 PM
Thomas(believer)'s Avatar
Thomas(believer) Thomas(believer) is offline
Established Member
  
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Netherlands
Posts: 414
Default
I can't wait to see the results!
__________________
Not because it is easy, but because it is hard...

There is no way to happiness,
happiness is the way.
Reply With Quote
  #28 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 07:25 PM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default 20 minutes after flyby
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thomas(believer) View Post
I can't wait to see the results!
A relatively small wait -- compared to MESSENGER's traveling there.

January 14 status report (pre-flyby)

Quote:
MESSENGER will begin to transmit the new data to Earth once all of the scientific measurements are completed, about 22 hours after the spacecraft's closest approach to Mercury. These flyby data will shed light on fundamental scientific questions related to the formation and evolution of the planet Mercury. As scientists analyze the data, the MESSENGER spacecraft will continue on its planned journey, which includes two more encounters of Mercury in October 2008 and September 2009, before entering an orbit around Mercury in March 2011.
Flyby Visualization

Quote:
Conditions at 14 Jan 2008 19:24:32 UTC

Primary Instrument [NAC camera]
Time Since Closest Approach: 00:19:50 (hh:mm:ss)
Altitude: 5,524 km (3,432 mi)
Visible Surface Sunlit: 71.9%
NAC Resolution At Image Center: 141.88 m/pixel
WAC Resolution At Image Center: 993.16 m/pixel
Surface Coordinates At Image Center: 4.38 º S 122.39 º E
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Reply With Quote
  #29 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 07:43 PM
BetaDust's Avatar
BetaDust BetaDust is offline
Established Member
  
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 923
Default
Gorgeous. Really Cool!!!
__________________
________________________________________
Your theory is crazy, but it's not crazy enough to be true. -- Niels Bohr --

Ipsa scientia potestas est. ~ Knowledge itself is power.---- Bacon
--------
Ad eundum quo nemo ante iit.


Hint: this is at heart a scientific forum, and underneath the fooling around there are some diamond-hard minds hanging about, ready to tear you to shreads. -- mike alexander --
Reply With Quote
  #30 (permalink)  
Old 14-January-2008, 09:10 PM
01101001's Avatar
01101001 01101001 is offline
Order of Kilopi
  
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 13,438
Default
Planetary Society Weblog: MESSENGER's signal has been reacquired! (about 40 minutes after close encounter)

Quote:
I just managed to get a phone call in to someone at MESSENGER's Science Operations Center and MESSENGER has been heard from, post-occultation; they've reacquired the signal from the spacecraft, they "saw the Doppler" (meaning they're tracking it and it's where they expected to be, at the speed they expected it to be at) and "We think we're in good shape."
__________________
0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 ...
Reply With Quote
Reply
Page 1 of 3 1 23

« World Space budget a drop in the bucket | Giant robots could carry lunar bases on their backs »

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Linear Mode

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Are Mercury Amalgams a Health Risk? hammo1j Science and Technology 45 06-February-2008 08:58 AM
MESSENGER Flyby of Mercury January 14th Fraser Universe Today Story Comments 1 15-January-2008 04:47 AM
Vaccinations and autism banquo's_bumble_puppy Off-Topic Babbling 22 30-July-2005 01:17 AM
Perihelion advance oriel36 Astronomy 52 03-September-2003 07:13 AM


All times are GMT. The time now is 10:33 AM.

Contact Us - Bad Astronomy and Universe Today Forum - Archive - Top

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.3
Copyright ©2000 - 2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
LinkBacks Enabled by vBSEO 3.0.0
©  2006 Bad Astronomy and Universe Today