The mission of the "Messenger" in the orbit of Mercury comes to an end
The American automatic interplanetary station "Messenger" was launched to Mercury from Earth on August 3, 2004. On March 18, 2011, the station reached Mercury.
After more than 10 years in space and almost four years in the orbit of Mercury, the Messenger mission is soon coming to an end. Fuel is running out.
Until January 21, AMC will reduce the height to 25 kilometers, where it will be exposed to high temperatures of about 185 degrees Celsius. The shaded side of the AMC will be heated by the radiation of the surface of Mercury. This is the melting point of the solder.
On January 21, the engine will be turned on for 120 seconds to raise the orbit to 80 kilometers.
New heights will provide unique data on the craters, their contents, the structure of the surface and the gravitational field of Mercury. Initially, it was assumed that the mission would end in March, but it might be possible to extend the mission for a month using helium, which displaced fuel and oxidizer from the tanks, for a small correction of the flight path.
After more than 10 years in space and almost four years in the orbit of Mercury, the Messenger mission is soon coming to an end. Fuel is running out.
Until January 21, AMC will reduce the height to 25 kilometers, where it will be exposed to high temperatures of about 185 degrees Celsius. The shaded side of the AMC will be heated by the radiation of the surface of Mercury. This is the melting point of the solder.
On January 21, the engine will be turned on for 120 seconds to raise the orbit to 80 kilometers.
New heights will provide unique data on the craters, their contents, the structure of the surface and the gravitational field of Mercury. Initially, it was assumed that the mission would end in March, but it might be possible to extend the mission for a month using helium, which displaced fuel and oxidizer from the tanks, for a small correction of the flight path.
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Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/375257/
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