Today March 18 at 01:00 UTC, the MESSENGER probe ( Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging ) was inserted into Mercury orbit after 15 minutes on the main motor. For the first time in history, a spacecraft orbits the smallest planet in the Solar System. The first image from orbit is expected on March 29. After today, mankind has managed to place a spacecraft in orbit at five planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn.
The orbital insertion maneuver, called MOI ( Mercury Orbit Insertion ) has served to slow the spacecraft at 862.4 m / s, consuming 31% of the hypergolic fuel reserves of the probe (about 190 kg) . The initial orbit is highly elliptical polar, with a periapsis of 400 km, 82 ° tilt and a 12 hour period. On 15 June this year made the move OCM-1 to achieve a periapsis of 200 km and a period of 11.73 hours. On July 28 there will be the OCM-2 to reach again an orbit with a period of 12 hours, but with a geometry that avoids eclipses and keep the ship panels under constant solar illumination.
MESSENGER (NASA).
MOI maneuver insertion into orbit of Mercury (NASA).
MESSENGER propulsion system (NASA).
sequence of events in the MOI (NASA).
maneuvers planned for MESSENGER and fuel consumption of each (NASA).
orbital adjustment maneuvers to be performed soon MESSENGER (NASA).
MESSENGER was launched in August 2004. To go into orbit of the small planet, the spacecraft had to perform during these seven years, the Earth flyby, two Venus and Mercury three and five drills with the main engine. This complex set of interplanetary carambola is necessary because Mercury is deep inside the Sun's gravity well
probe trajectory from launch (NASA).
One of the images obtained during the third Mercury flyby in October 2009. It is actually a mosaic of 62 images (NASA).
The orbital insertion maneuver, called MOI ( Mercury Orbit Insertion ) has served to slow the spacecraft at 862.4 m / s, consuming 31% of the hypergolic fuel reserves of the probe (about 190 kg) . The initial orbit is highly elliptical polar, with a periapsis of 400 km, 82 ° tilt and a 12 hour period. On 15 June this year made the move OCM-1 to achieve a periapsis of 200 km and a period of 11.73 hours. On July 28 there will be the OCM-2 to reach again an orbit with a period of 12 hours, but with a geometry that avoids eclipses and keep the ship panels under constant solar illumination.
MESSENGER (NASA).
MOI maneuver insertion into orbit of Mercury (NASA).
MESSENGER propulsion system (NASA).
sequence of events in the MOI (NASA).
maneuvers planned for MESSENGER and fuel consumption of each (NASA).
orbital adjustment maneuvers to be performed soon MESSENGER (NASA).
MESSENGER was launched in August 2004. To go into orbit of the small planet, the spacecraft had to perform during these seven years, the Earth flyby, two Venus and Mercury three and five drills with the main engine. This complex set of interplanetary carambola is necessary because Mercury is deep inside the Sun's gravity well
probe trajectory from launch (NASA).
One of the images obtained during the third Mercury flyby in October 2009. It is actually a mosaic of 62 images (NASA).
0 comments:
Post a Comment