Hey! I almost forgot about this mission, thanks for reminding me. I just can't wait to see all the juicy images. While Mercury (visually) may not be all that interesting, it definitely has other characteristics that are worth the visit. I don't even recall seeing very detailed images of Mercury, Mariner 10 wasn't exactly a powerhouse. Not to mention that was back in 1973.

Star & Flag.

I hope that this is read by all the science-bashers and make them ashamed.

Indeed, you can call it "mainstream science" all you want, but this daring research effort shows just how much humans are capable of.

Dont get too excited, I too, would love to see good hi-res photos, just be prepared for low resolution airbrushed items just like always.
Just think about it, we don't even have decent photos of Antarctica!
Living in hope,
Horsegiver.

according to the NASA website, the mission will not start until March 2011 (when MESSENGER gets into a orbit around Mercury). This is the first of 3 Mercury flyby's before the final science starting orbit. No new info probably would come from this flyby....

Excellent. We definitely need to learn more about the little rock. It would be an economical location for a solar power station given a viable means of energy transport.

Well that would be a good idea, but there are a few problems. The planet rotates around the sun every 88 days, and it rotates around its axis three times for every 2 rotations around the sun. That would require 4 or so satellites of some kind in stationary orbit to transmit the power back to us (since we are not always in a line of sight with the planet. One possible idea would be solar collection with transmission via Microwave. I still think there is potential with the electric universe theory - maybe electric plasma or something. Just my 2 cents.

Quite Quite wonderful!

It's a disgrace you know, I've still yet to look at elusive little Mercury through a telescope! Actually, I don't think I've seen it with the naked eye either!
Looking forward to seeing what surprises might lay in store. Anyone got any sensible predictions as to what Messenger might find?

[edit on 4-1-2008 by timelike]

Originally posted by horsegiver
Dont get too excited, I too, would love to see good hi-res photos, just be prepared for low resolution airbrushed items just like always.
Just think about it, we don't even have decent photos of Antarctica!
Living in hope,
Horsegiver.

You really have a humorus way with words. Thanks a million for saying what's on my mind.

Messenger flew within 124 miles of Mercury today. I hope we see some uneditted clean/clear photo's. Maybe seeing the pictures of Mercurys surface can help us determine if the Sun is nuclear or electromagnetic.

Great thank you for these. I realized today that ATS would be a good place to visit to talk to people about MESSENGER or at least to lurk in a thread to keep on top of any new photos. These sure are great images, especially that one they posted today (Jan 17) that's a great clear picture. It looks geologically dead like the moon.

Why do these photos have to be in black and white? I would love to get an idea what the real Mercury would look like. Is it very dark or very reflective? I guess it's full of scorched iron and it doesn't rust so there's no oxygen there to make it red, so it stays dark and ruddy?

What does Mercury look like close up?

So, can't wait for the evidence of alien life on Mercury posts and threads
Oi, but those are interesting photos to me, looks a lot like the moon as far as I'm concerned though, not much of a planet person.

Let's enjoy these splendid pictures in peace and quiet for a few days, there's so much going on in the political boards that this hasn't really grabbed anybody's attention. The old Mariner photos cover less than half of Mercury and at a worse resolution so this is the most excited new image I've seen since Cassini.

Mercury has a thin atmosphere, that's one of the things MESSENGER plans to test in 2011 when it finally gets to visit the planet up close, now that would be interesting to me, figuring out what kind of atmosphere could stand up to days that last a year and not be boiled off into outer space sounds like a good mystery to try to solve. Mercury is very dense, the main theory is that lighter elements get blasted away by the planet's proximity to the sun, the extreme cold, the extreme heat.

There are also strange reflections in the craters on the north and south poles and the possibility of something frozen up there and down there at the poles.

[edit on 18-1-2008 by Brock Gel]