Messenger Spacecraft Prepared for Mercury

An anonymous reader writes "NASA's first orbiter to the planet Mercury is shown today in cut-away, revealing the parasol design that will protect it from intense heat. Twenty layers of aluminized Kapton will be its sunshade. Curiously since the innermost planet is so close to the Sun, the Mercury mission itself will look for (cometary) water-ice preserved on the less baked north pole."

Comments

The probe's slogan

[Anonymous Coward]

"My future's so bright, I've got to wear shades."

Is that even possible?

[mindless4210]

The outside of this 6-foot solar umbrella will rise to 680F (360C), while its special insulating properties will keep its inside surface below 212F (100C) - and the spacecraft operating at room temperature.

How can you keep the spacecraft at room temperature if everything around it is at least 212F? I need to get some of those fans for my computer.

Re:Is that even possible?

[InfiniteWisdom]

Of course, I'm not a science guy, so what do I know, right?

Apparently. I thought the energy from the sun reaching the earth through 150 million miles of hard vaccum might have been some clue.

Re:Is that even possible?

[InfiniteWisdom]

I work for Nasa, you insensitive clod.

I do'nt kneed on dman pvriev buton!

Is it hot or is it me?

[malia8888]

From the article: the spacecraft's temperature would climb to unmanageable levels without special protection. The outside of this 6-foot solar umbrella will rise to 680F (360C), while its special insulating properties will keep its inside surface below 212F (100C) - and the spacecraft operating at room temperature.

Then in the case of Mercury, I guess it really is the heat, not the humidity that gets to you :P

Re:Looking for water...

[Overzeetop]

Dubya's new space initiative to look for extraterrestrial oil hasn't filtered through to the mission planners yet...

(Just proof that any dumb @$$ can get elected in America...ooooh, pretty shiney!)

Re:Ice?

[uujjj]

I belive what you are missing here is "the obvious"

Re:Ion drive

[Bandman]

when I was about 3 years old, I took my matchbox cars, and mounted a magnet on the front of one. Then I took a metal beam from my erector set, taped it to the top of my car, and put one end way out in front, on which I taped another magnet, opposite poles facing each other. It took me a couple of seconds to realize why it wasn't going to work :-) It sounds pretty similer to an ion drive pushing it's own sail.

Re:Bright future my ass

[Anonymous Coward]

Tell you what Chuckles, when it comes time to colonize Mercury, we'll send you first to see if it's worth the bother and what the hazards are. ("Whoops, no oxygen. Okay, noted. Send the next one.")

Good Lord, how stupid!

[winkydink]

Everybody knows that if you want to avoid pesky problems with being so close to the sun, you go at night.

Sheesh.

Re:What bright future?

[zero_offset]

you may ponder what the carpenter said a couple thousand years back

"I'm so frigging tire of sawing logs. I wonder if I could run one of those prophet scams without the Romans catching on?"