Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Spacecraft Sends First Image From Mercury's Orbit

Posted by samzenpus on from the hot-pictures dept.

adeelarshad82 writes "NASA released an image of Mercury captured by its Messenger spacecraft — the first ever obtained from the planet's orbit. The first image came in at 5:20am Eastern yesterday, and over the next six hours, Messenger captured an additional 363 images, which are still being transmitted to the Messenger team on Earth. In the next three days, the spacecraft will capture another 1,185 images, with the goal of snapping 75,000 over the next year."

3 of 97 comments (clear)

  1. Obligatory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Readers beware: it's actually a map of Uranus.

  2. WTF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    No atmosphere, and less craters than the Moon. Lame.

  3. This comment approved by 4 out of 5 squirrels by Pnarp · · Score: 1, Funny

    There are six key questions NASA hopes to answer during Messenger's year-long orbit of Mercury: why is Mercury so dense;

    Aliens.

    what is the planet's geological history;

    Aliens.

    what is the nature of Mercury's magnetic field;

    Alien warp engines.

    what is the structure of Mercury's core;

    Alien space station.

    what are the unusual materials (ice?) at Mercury's poles;

    Alien ice.

    and what volatiles are important at Mercury?

    Aliens farting.

    --

    Pnårp's docile & perfunctory page!