Close encounter with Mercury

[middy]

The Messenger spacecraft is doing a fly past of the planet Mercury on Monday. The first of three flybys until settling into orbit in 2011. Read about it here:

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0801/13messenger/

[glenc]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7183846.stm
The first spacecraft to visit Mercury in more than 30 years passes the planet on Monday at a distance of just 200km.

[CoombellKid]

It will certainly be interesting to see some of the hi-res modern imagery
that will be return to Earth. What I'm wondering about is why it's going
to take so long to put it into orbit around Mercury. What sort of trust
mechanism is employed?

regards,CS

[tornado33]

Id forgotten about Messenger till I saw it mentioned on "The Sky at Night" (http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/space/spaceguide/skyatnight/proginfo.shtml)
Look at the wonderful hi res shots
http://messenger.jhuapl.edu/gallery/sciencePhotos/
Odd littles been in the media about it
Scott

[CoombellKid]

Crickey! if you didn't know, they look like someones luna shots. However
they're pretty much how I would expect.

regards,CS

[OneOfOne]

I think it is all a hoax, they have just substituted photos of the Moon ;)

Next thing you know, they will be saying we landed on the Moon once:lol: