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Projects: Space InformationThe Planetary ReportVolume XXVIII, Number 5, September/October 2008
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Credit: NASA / JHUAPL / CIW
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On January 14, 2008, MESSENGER became the first spacecraft to visit Mercury since Mariner 10 flew by in 1974 and 1975. This color composite view is constructed of images MESSENGER captured about 80 minutes prior to closest approach, from roughly 27,000 kilometers (16,800 miles) out. The sunlit area was imaged by Mariner 10, but under different lighting conditions. This image and other MESSENGER data will give us a detailed, global view of Mercury, revealing much about the planet closest to the Sun.
From The Editor
We were buoyant, exhilarated -- and back on Mars after 21 years. At Planetfest '97, I was waiting at the Pasadena Center for Project Manager Tony Spear to arrive and address the thousands who had gathered to watch Mars Pathfinder touch down. We'd seen the live feed from JPL and already had cheered the spacecraft's safe arrival.
But our celebrating wasn't over. It's a tradition for Project Managers
to come to Planetfest for their rock-star moment to accept the cheers of the
multitude, and Tony was due at any minute. Through the dense crowd, friends
on the mission team kept swirling by, telling me to make sure I was there when
Tony was ready to speak.
Then there he was, raising his arms in a victory salute. When the noise died down, Tony stood behind the lectern and announced that he had a surprise for us all.
We were up for a surprise -- as long as it was a good one. We were still smarting from the loss of Mars '96, which had carried our Visions of Mars CD -- and a microdot with the names of all Planetary Society members -- straight to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
Now Tony was telling us that the Pathfinder team had gotten a duplicate microdot and affixed it to their spacecraft. To thank Planetary Society members for their ceaseless support, they had taken us all to Mars.
Cheers mixed equally with tears as the audience rose to their feet with applause, and no one there will ever forget that return to the Red Planet. And we're back again. When Phoenix touched down this last May, Planetary Society members landed with it -- and Visions of Mars finally made it.
These moments are part of our Messages from Earth project that has sent our members to Mars, to Comet Tempel 1, to Saturn, onward to Pluto, and soon, back to the Moon. Aren't you proud to have traveled with them?
—Charlene M. Anderson
Features
Phoenix: Success in the Martian Arctic
by Bruce Betts
Out of this World Books
MESSENGER Arrives at Mercury
by Ralph L. McNutt, Jr. and Sean C. Solomon
The Planetary Report is available only to Members of The Planetary Society. If you'd like to read these and other exciting features, JOIN THE PLANETARY SOCIETY TODAY!
MEMBERS: Download this and other back issues of The Planetary Report in PDF format from the For Members section of the website.
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