 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Deep-Space Maneuver Positions MESSENGER For Mercury Orbit Insertion
Laurel MD (SPX) Nov 27, 2009 The Mercury-bound MESSENGER spacecraft completed its fifth and final deep-space maneuver of the mission today, providing the expected velocity change needed to place the spacecraft on course to enter into orbit about Mercury in March 2011. A 3.3-minute firing of its bi-propellant engine provided nearly all of the probe's 177 meter per second (396 mile per hour) increase in its speed relative to the Sun. MESSENGER was 230.4 million kilometers (143.2 million miles) from Earth when today's maneuver began at 4:45 p.m. EST. Mission controllers at The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md., verified the start of the maneuver about 12 minutes, 49 seconds later, when the first signals indicating spacecraft thruster activity reached NASA's Deep Space Network tracking station outside Goldstone, Calif. "The team was well-prepared for the maneuver," said MESSENGER Mission Systems Engineer Eric Finnegan, of APL. "Initial data analysis indicates an extremely accurate maneuver execution. After sifting through all the post-burn data I expect we will find ourselves right on target." Share This Article With Planet Earth
Related Links MESSENGER News Flash at Mercury Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com Lunar Dreams and more
Mercury probe fly-by maps mysterious inner planetWashington (AFP) Nov 6, 2009 The US space probe Messenger's third and final fly-by of the planet Mercury in September revealed an almost complete view of the solar system's smallest planet, leaving only the polar regions to be surveyed, NASA said. Flying at a low altitude, the Messenger (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging) probe's cameras have now mapped some 98 percent of Mercury's surface ... read more |
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2009 - SpaceDaily. AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
YahooMyWeb
Google
Facebook