Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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Our first visit to the innermost rocky world in our system is in progress.
Main NASA page (with links to webcasts of launch) MESSENGER Official Web Site Why Mercury you ask? Hot in the sun, you betcha... but we think there's also ice in the shadows. Where is MESSENGER now? Patience required for the heat as with the PKE out into the cold... not due to arrive in orbit of orb 1 until 2011. |
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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NASA announced today that MESSENGER set a new communications record back in May 2005 by exchanging data via Laser pulses at a range exceeding 15 million miles (approximately 25 million kilometres). The previous record was only 4 million miles (6 million km).
full story here |
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The Hoarding Packrat
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Very interesting that is. I'll be 20 in 2011....
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Denver, Colorado
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I'll be 64 in 2011
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Hates the Infotainment
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
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Suckerr.... now I don't feel so old anymore.
Kidding I will however, be 40 by then. That's if I make it that long. I take nothing for granted anymore... All right, back to your regularly scheduled star-gazing. PS - anyone own the book called The Universe - 365 Days Was thinking of adding that to my Amazon cart soon. Haven't purchased any astrophotographic books in a couple years. Was hoping this one had some newer hubble images, Mars images, etc. ...into the light of a dark black night. |
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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More Mercury news this week... the current issue of Nature discusses a theory that, just like Earth's Moon and Pluto's Charon, Mercury may have had a monster impact event as part of its formation which stripped off the planet's outer layer
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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Closest approach tomorrow!
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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Latest Update (4 articles in Science published 1 May 2009):
Mercury subject to magnetic tornadoes, ion sputtering... which helps alter atmospheric composition of sodium, calcium, magnesium on daily basis... craters unlike any in the solar system, etc. The telcon audio was streamed, but doesn't appear to be parked anywhere. Press Conference materials link <-- larger images (and detailed captions for each) than the ones I've inserted below Quote:
All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand. |
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Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Philly
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This is amazing data. Seems that whenever we think might be what we see, it's something else entirely.
I watched Sunshine last week and this is one of my favorite scenes. "I always question the received reality. The consensus reality is often intentionally misleading." - George Carlin |
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I definitely prefer it over git.
Whatdoyoumeanthatwasn'tthesubject? |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Have they found a girl with blue hair yet?
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I shot the sherrif.
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I think I was reading that Mercury forms funnels that actually end up directing plasma from the Sun down to the planets service. Bad ass.
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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Magnetosphere much weaker than Earth, (not detectable from here, and barely detected during Flyby 1), but after 'triggering' by solar activity near Flyby 2, observed to be far more variable and sensitive. Flyby 3 in October and final orbit in 2011 should improve the data significantly. Proximity to CME and inverse square law for other forces makes for an interesting world to watch. Having the right robot observer in the right place at the right time has just been proven critical. Combine this with STEREO Mission data (just passed L4 and L5 on their way around the Sun), and things are looking bright. Still digesting most of the results, but thought they deserved sharing. All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand. |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2004
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it's pretty awesome. I love seeing what our neighbors look like.
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Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2004
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You can get arrested for that, dude.
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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Next close approach/trajectory maneuver Tuesday.
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Last edited by curiousuburb : 2009-09-28 at 19:17. Reason: Link added |
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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Observer story on Messenger
Oddly, the mission which was launched in 2006 has completed 15 solar orbits. So does that make it a 4 year or a 15 year trip so far? Of course, if it were a Klingon ship, it'd be back in time by now... All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand. |
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Within
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6-going-on-7 years, being launched in 2004? It's 2011. Nonetheless, I suppose it's made a 6.6 Earth-year trip and a 15 Mercury Messenger-year trip, all at the same time. Just like Earth can do one year while Venus does 1.6 and Jupiter about a tenth... You just have to pick which planet you want to be on. That's how I see it from my non-mathematician point of view anyway. |
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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Durrrr... looked at start of thread rather than start of mission. /facepalm
Meanwhile... Messenger has tweeted it's latest pre-burn update. Last edited by curiousuburb : 2011-03-08 at 17:51. |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2004
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I am so ticked - got invited to the MOI event at the APL labs... and won't be in DC until three days later.
KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN! |
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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Mercury Orbit Insertion Live Webcast at 7:55 EDT
NASA TV will be streaming coverage of the event. Quote:
Go Messenger! All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand. |
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Selfish Heathen
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
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Live! Plays more reliably in QuickTime Player than Safari, surprisingly.
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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http://mfile.akamai.com/7111/live/re...asx?bkup=22194 in Firefox kicks open QT Player as a nice 640 x 360 stream
But yeah, they do like their WMP 9 codecs at NASA TV. Luckily, with the right codecs, QT likes it too. All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand. |
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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MOI Burn completed successfully!
Webcast continues to provide details and interviews... downlink telemetry and data pending. |
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Selfish Heathen
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Zone of Pain
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And officially in orbit now!
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Antimatter Man
Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
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The tweets from @CassiniSaturn and @Voyager2 to @Messenger2011 "one orbiter to another" were a nice touch too.
Nearest and farthest from the sun (96 & 116 AU for V1 and V2 respectively). #MOI2011 Now a few weeks of commissioning instruments and then the science teams will start their year of investigation in earnest. All those who believe in telekinesis, raise my hand. |
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Member
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Denver, Colorado
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I was in Southeast asia during the first APOLLO LANDING. I remember that the Abbot of Wat (A major temple in Bangkok) was concerned that the american Astronauts did not defile the Moon Goddess.
I guess he knew us better than most How do you read 80 column cards on this computer? |
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Hates the Infotainment
Join Date: May 2004
Location: NSA Archives
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Wow, I would've thought it would be impossible for a spacecraft to get close enough to orbit Mercury without frying under the intense radiation from the sun. I gather we must be orbiting during the "cold period" of the orbit but that only lasts for what, 30 days or something? How long does the orbital part of the mission last?
...into the light of a dark black night. |
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Veteran Member
Join Date: May 2004
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Ongoing. *grin* (Well, one year is the official mission, but they hope to keep it going for years past that.)
The craft has a heavy duty shield on one side that always faces the sun. The other side is about 20C. Nifty, eh? |
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feeling my oats
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i beat those solar panels put out hella energy
g |
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