The Mariner was built around an octagonal body 1. It was equipped with just two solar panels, unlike the rest of the Mariner series that had four. There were two sets of reaction jets for stabilising the craft on three axes, and 29 kg of liquid fuel to power them. All up the craft weighed about kg. Onboard instruments included a radiometer to detect infrared radiation; two spectrometers to detect ultraviolet radiation and emissions; plasma detectors to study solar wind; magnetometers to detect magnetic fields; telescopes to detect whether any magnetic fields had captured charged particles; and two 15 cm telescopes connected to a video imaging system.
These were positioned on the side of the spacecraft intended to face away from the Sun, to protect the electronics from overheating. On the other side of of the craft an umbrella-like sunshade provided extra shielding from solar radiation. Shortly after its launch on 3 November , Mariner 10 turned to take pictures of the Earth and Moon. The purpose was to calibrate its television cameras in preparation for its main mission.
It was the first spacecraft capable of returning high-resolution digital color image data. Two images, taken at a distance of about 2. On February 5, the spacecraft came within 5, While Venus appears featureless in normal light, due to its blanketing cloud, ultraviolet camera filters showed a much more dynamic atmosphere.
Based on observations from Earth, scientists had expected to see a blotchy surface, but the degree captured by Mariner 10 was a surprise to most, leading to much theorising about the causes.
That speculation has continued to this day. Mission Statistics. Launch Date Nov 03, Type Flyby Spacecraft. Target Mercury, Venus. About the mission. Instruments Imaging system Electrostatic analyzer Electron spectrometer Triaxial fluxgate magnetometer Extreme ultraviolet spectrometer Infrared radiometer. It's suspected that about 5, years ago a comet swept within 23 million miles of the Sun, closer than the innermost planet Mercury.
Full Moon Guide: August - September The images show Venus approaching from the left while the Sun is off-camera to the upper right. The next full Moon goes by many names including the Buck Moon. Full Moon Guide: July — August The balloons are being developed to detect venusquakes.
In , they made the first balloon-borne detection of a quake much closer to home. This was the first direct measurement of the Venusian atmosphere in nearly 30 years — and it looks quite different from Venus past. The next full Moon will be early Saturday morning, Feb. The Moon will appear full from Thursday night through Sunday morning. The next full Moon will be on the morning of Halloween, Saturday, Oct.
The next full Moon will be on Thursday afternoon, Oct. The Moon will appear full from Wednesday morning through Saturday morning. Venus is proving to be an exciting place of discovery, though it had not been a significant part of the search for life because of its extreme temperatures, atmospheric composition and other factors.
Announcement About Research on Venus's Chemistry. The next full Moon will be midday on Monday, August 3, Click for more.
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