RETURN JOURNEY
For the record, I'm a big fan of unmanned space missions, especially inter-planetary spacecraft. So it's with great interest I read today's New York Times article on NASA's latest probe reaching Mercury, the innermost planet in the solar system. Here's what the spacecraft, called the Messenger, is expected to do on it's half a billion dollar, multi-year mission:
"The robot spacecraft, the first to visit the planet in more than three decades, was to pass about 124 miles above Mercury’s cratered surface at 2:04 p.m. Eastern time before continuing off on a path that is to bring it back three more times in the next three years before settling into orbit."
Mercury is a fascinating planet, particularly for it's extremes in temperature:
"It also has the most extreme temperature swings of any planet, with heat approaching 800 degrees Fahrenheit in the sunlight while the night side can reach 350 degrees below zero. Yet, radar readings from Earth suggest possible deposits of water ice in permanently shaded craters near the poles."
Reminds you of the planet in Pitch Black, the terrific sci-fi movie from 2000, starring Vin Diesel.
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