Messenger Probe Sends Back Mercury Photos

arbitraryaardvark writes "NASA's Messenger probe flew past Mercury at a distance of 125 miles. The spacecraft took hundreds of pictures during the pass, updating photos from the now 30-year-old Mariner mission. According to an article at the International Business Times, the probe will eventually settle into orbit around Mercury in 2011. 'The images obtained by the $446 million MESSENGER mission (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) this week contain some of those unexplored areas. One image released Saturday was taken after Messenger made its closest approach to Mercury last week. In the photos released this week, scientists have observed unexplored cratered areas of the planet. On Monday, Messenger made its closest approach to Mercury yet, aiming for new discoveries. Among its goals is to discover if Mercury has ice water in its polar craters and to complete the mapping of the whole planet.' Meanwhile here on Earth, a joint EU/Japan probe with an ion drive is set to head towards Mercury sometime in 2013."

Comments

Miles?

[quenda]

125 Miles?? Have they not learnt their lesson over at Mars?
Its the 21st century damnit, and these guys are still in the 19th.

Obligitory nerd-bashing joke . . .

[mmell]

If these scientists wanted to discover unexplored craters, they need merely have looked at the acne scars on each others faces.

Ba-dum, ching.

Seriously, it's intriguing - personally, I'd rather see the energy and capital investment spent on something with a slightly more tangible payoff like the exploration/colonization of Luna/Mars/etc. . . but if closer analysis of Mercury lets astrophysicists devise more accurate models of planetary formation, I suppose there's a value there too.

So, NASA . . . are we there yet?

(Ba-dum, ching)

Whats the deal with all the troll posts?

[caeili]

This place is getting worse than Digg.