Although not as fantastic as I expected, they are neat considering what it took to get them.
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: January 16, 2008
NASA's Messenger spacecraft has captured a new view of the planet Mercury. During a flyby on Monday, cameras onboard snapped images of the cratered surface that had not been previously observed.
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NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
On January 14, 2008, the Messenger snapped this photo of Mercury, which shows about half of the hemisphere of the planet that had never before been viewed.
Related
NASA Spacecraft Gets a Peek at Mercury (January 15, 2008)
Enlarge This Image
NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington
This image was taken from a distance of 11,000 miles, about 56 minutes before the Messenger spacecraft's closest encounter with Mercury.
In the 1970s, NASA's Mariner 10 flew past Mercury three times and made observations, but the same hemisphere was always facing the sun.
The images from Monday's flyby covered about half of the unexplored section of the planet. The image at left was collected by the Wide Angle Camera from a distance of about 17,000 miles. The data collected so far indicate that the rest of Mercury is heavily cratered, similar to the areas studied by Mariner 10. Messenger is expected map the planet in full after it slips into orbit in March 2011.
By THE NEW YORK TIMES
Published: January 16, 2008
NASA's Messenger spacecraft has captured a new view of the planet Mercury. During a flyby on Monday, cameras onboard snapped images of the cratered surface that had not been previously observed.
Skip to next paragraph Enlarge This Image
NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of WashingtonOn January 14, 2008, the Messenger snapped this photo of Mercury, which shows about half of the hemisphere of the planet that had never before been viewed.
Related
NASA Spacecraft Gets a Peek at Mercury (January 15, 2008)
Enlarge This Image
NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of WashingtonThis image was taken from a distance of 11,000 miles, about 56 minutes before the Messenger spacecraft's closest encounter with Mercury.
In the 1970s, NASA's Mariner 10 flew past Mercury three times and made observations, but the same hemisphere was always facing the sun.
The images from Monday's flyby covered about half of the unexplored section of the planet. The image at left was collected by the Wide Angle Camera from a distance of about 17,000 miles. The data collected so far indicate that the rest of Mercury is heavily cratered, similar to the areas studied by Mariner 10. Messenger is expected map the planet in full after it slips into orbit in March 2011.
