All reports
June 2016 - Journey to Pluto
Report #16 - May 2016
Thank You, MESSENGER
Mercury can be labeled as a rather "hellish" planet. In the solar system, this planet may be the smallest and closest to the sun, but, with its extreme conditions, comes to be one of the most uninhabitable planets. Why? Well, on its surface, Mercury's temperatures soar to 840°F by day and dip to -290°F by night; an eyeball to scientists, but, as a result, difficult to study. The solution? Spacecraft MESSENGER.
Mercury
An artist's impression of NASA's spacecraft MESSENGER overlooking Mercury.
To study the devil of a planet, Mercury, scientists decided to lock down and construct a spacecraft that would be able to withstand the planet's hectic weather conditions, but still collect valuable data. This was when spacecraft MESSENGER was born. Built with a huge heat-protective blanket and armed with an impressive array of scientific instuments, MESSENGER, in 2011, was sent off to uncover the secrets of Mercury.
And boy did it just do that.
Images collected of Mercury by spacecraft MESSENGER.
Over the years, MESSENGER has collected and gathered more than 250,000 detailed images of Mercury's surface (thanks to its heat-protective blanket and complex instruments, which enabled the spacecraft to get up nice and close to the fiery planet). These images have enabled the creation of the "sharpest map of Mercury." Moreover, with its measurements, the secret of the planet's "structure and composition of rock formations" on its surface were finally cracked. Below are the above images with explanations of each.
Central Peaks
These tiny mountain-like figures, known as "central peaks," were found within one of Mercury's many craters (this one known as the "Abdein crater") surrounding a depression in the center, which is believed to have once been volcanic.
An Elevation Map of Mercury
This image (left) does well to show how enshouded in craters Mercury is. Such crater vary in depth, for this elevation map, coded in white for "high terrain" and purple for "low-lying areas," illustrates how uneven the planet's surface is.
A Temperature Seesaw in the North Pole
Taken from above, MESSENGER was able to capture an image of Mercury's north pole that color coats the more than 1,000°F temperature difference on its surface. Red represents 'sunlit areas" while blue and purple correspond to "shadow regions."
A Fine View of Geologic Material
This image focuses in on one of many imperfections on Mercury's surface. Looking deeper, scientists were able to color code this impact basin to accentuate the "different types of geologic material" hidden around this feature.
Mercury is More Than Meets the Eye
Fast and simple photos of Mercury don't give it justice. Have you ever taken a photo of yourself and thought that your features weren't properly justified? This is a common feat for Mercury. A quick photo of the planet (left) shows an interesting pattern of grey and white. However, in the photo to the right, Mercury's features are more defined, sporting a detailed coating of color and detail. This is because this photo has been colored to refine and show the planet's minerals on its rough surface.
On April 30, 2015, four years after its launch, MESSENGER retired to Mercury's wrath, crashing on the planet after running out of fuel. Thanks to this spacecraft scientists were able to learn more about Merucry than ever before.
SOURCES:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center
Images courtesy of NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/details.cgi?aid=11843
http://www.space.com/29251-amazing-mercury-photos-nasa-messenger-video.html
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mercury_Globe-MESSENGER_mosaic_centered_at_0degN-0degE.jpg