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Earth Departure Movie From MESSENGER Spacecraft

Posted by Hemos on from the pretty-things-to-watch dept.

A reader writes:"The Mercury-bound MESSENGER spacecraft took 358 images during a gravity assist swingby of Earth on Aug. 2, 2005. Those images were sequenced into an MPEG movie showing the view from MESSENGER as it departed Earth."

4 of 193 comments (clear)

  1. Impressive! by Henriok · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This is the real deal! The Earth is getting smaller in a realistic manner witch I've never seen before. I wonder what kind of acceleration and speed we are taling about here? These would be completely different figures in the movie and the real event. Someone care to do the math?

    Don't you just love the reflection of the Sun? And the absence of a "glowing" atmosphere halo? This is what the Earth really look like. Please render planets like this when you do SciFi flicks in the future!

    --

    - Henrik

    - when the Shadows descend -
  2. Looks like that Orbiter simulator by flinxmeister · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Has anyone played with that Orbetor Simulator?

    Seeing this animation made me realize just how good that programmer is. The visualizations on that simulator nailed it pretty well. And it's free too!

  3. Re:Interesting by alfboggis · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Yeah, the earth is actually pretty smooth. Its diameter is 13,000 km, while Mount Everest is only about 9km high -- just 0.07%. Clouds cling very close to the surface at about 5km. That's about the thickness of a piece of paper compared to a basket ball.

  4. Re:Question! by jrboatright · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Orbital mechanics is "not obvious."

    as an object drops into a lower orbit they orbit in fewer seconds. Venus goes around the sun in fewer days than earth does, as does mercury...

    HOWEVER, the linear velocity of an inner orbit is slower than the linear velocity of an outer orbit.

    So, to go in, you slow down. Which results in dropping to a lower orbit, which results in your pulling out "in front" of the object you're seperating from leaving it both "above" you and "behind" you.

    So, accelerating spinwise is out, and slower.

    Accelerating anti-spinwise is in, and faster

    let us not get into what happens when you accelerate OUT or IN....