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: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: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.