The strangest moments in space launch history Oct 28, 2009
On May 5, 1962, NASA astronaut Alan Shepard one of the original seven Mercury spaceflyers was ready to become the ... Shepard, who died in 1998 at age 74, related the experience in the book "Moonshot," which he wrote with fellow Mercury astronaut Deke Slayton. (MSNBC -- Technology)
How To See a Black Hole Oct 27, 2009
If you placed it in our solar system it would probably span the orbit of Mercury. Yet, because of its great distance, its a mere speck against the sky, about 36 million times smaller than the full Moon. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Weather Could Stop NASA's New Rocket Launch Oct 27, 2009
The mercury will warm to the mid 70s Tuesday ahead of our first significant fall storm heading our way by Wednesday ... The mercury will warm to the mid 70s Tuesday ahead of our first significant fall storm heading our way by Wednesday. (KFOXTV.com, TX)
Probe uncovers Mercury's youthful secret Oct 23, 2009
A newly discovered crater on Mercury may have been geologically active as recently as a billion years ago. The discovery was made by NASA s Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) on its latest fly-by of the innermost planet of the Solar System on 29 September ... "It s the youngest terrain we ve yet seen on Mercury," said Clark Chapman a planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and part of the MESSENGER mission team. (Scientific American)
The water-generating Moon Oct 20, 2009
Like the Moon, Mercury also suffers from the direct hits of solar wind particles, and the SARA team expects that a similar phenomenon may occur here too, but that the innermost planet is likely reflecting more hydrogen than the Moon because the solar wind is more concentrated closer to the Sun. 2009 Yearbook. (Astronomy Now Online)
Galactic Magnetic Fields May Control Boundaries Of Our Solar System Oct 18, 2009
(June 2, 2009) Mercury is scorching hot, with daytime temperatures of more than 800 degrees Fahrenheit. Its hard for the planet to hold on to its atmosphere, which is extremely thin, and invisible to the human eye. (Science Daily)
Orionids Meteor Shower Starts This Weekend Oct 17, 2009
When a comet comes into the inner solar system which includes Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, and the asteroid belt the sun's heat turns some of the comet's ice into gas. Without the ice to hold them to the comet, some rocky fragments fall away. (National Geographic)
Looking Up: Clouds come and go, but stars shine on Oct 17, 2009
Here s a typical weather forecast and prospects for stargazing, from world to world: Mercury: What weather. There is practically no atmosphere, and no breathing either. (Belmont Citizen Herald, MA)
Hubble joins morning planet round-up Oct 16, 2009
At 6:46 a.m. Mercury is only 3 degrees high, so it will be hard to spot ... By 7 a.m. Mercury is still only about 7 degrees above the horizon, and the sky is beginning to brighten taking away the advantage of altitude ... Mercury is the most difficult of the six inner planets to spot. (Florida Today)
How the Moon produces its own water Oct 16, 2009
On bodies without such a natural shield, for example asteroids or the planet Mercury, the solar wind reaches the ground ... This knowledge provides timely advice for the scientists and engineers who are readying ESA's BepiColombo mission to Mercury. (Scientific American)
Lost in space race: Female pilots Oct 15, 2009
Jerrie Cobb poses next to a Mercury spaceship capsule ... A report in the current Advances in Physiology Education reveals that the "Mercury 13" members of the private Woman in Space Program of the early 1960s did about as well as, or better than, male candidates identically tested ... The top four women tested as fit as the Mercury 7 astronauts, Ryan says. (USA Today -- Tech)
Hot and Holy Oct 14, 2009
Sweat-lodge enthusiasts also claim that the ritual has health benefitsthat sweating can improve your skin and flush out harmful toxins like copper, lead, and mercury ... There's no clinical evidence that perspiration is an effective means of combating, say, mercury poisoning or other toxic conditions. (Slate)
This Week's Sky at a Glance Oct 13, 2009
above Venus, and Mercury is 8 ... Venus, Mercury, and Saturn are low in the east during dawn, changing configuration daily ... Mercury is sinking lower to the horizon below it. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Space flyby captures Mercury crater Oct 12, 2009
NASA spacecraft MESSENGER's final flyby of the planet Mercury before entering its orbit in 2011 had a disappointing glitch but was "mostly successful," says a University of Hawaii planetary researcher. Jeffrey Gillis-Davis, a researcher on the MESSENGER science team, said the flyby produced "a great image of a new pit crater we hadn't seen before. It's nice to see the number of these features increasing and distribution around the globe of Mercury increasing. ... It's some global geologic... (Honolulu Star-Bulletin)
The search for heavenly bodies Oct 11, 2009
James Dean personified coolness in a 1949 Mercury Series 9CM 6-Passenger Coupe, while John Wayne got his horsepower from a 1953 Corvette 2934 Convertible. Over 200 celebrity and one-of-a-kind cars are on display. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Travel)
Artsy shuttles bring in scholarship cash Oct 9, 2009
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation was founded in 1984 by Mercury Seven astronauts, and the program gives 19 scholarships of $10,000 to science and engineering students nationwide every year. We exceeded our goal and raised enough tonight to fund seven scholarships, said Linn LeBlanc, the foundations executive director. (Florida Today)
Iridium flares light up evening sky Oct 9, 2009
Mercury is only about 10 degrees above the horizon, with Saturn only two degrees above it. Brilliant Venus is six degrees above Mercury and serves as an easy beacon for finding the planetary trio ... By next Friday morning, the slim crescent Moon has joined the trio, but now the order is Mercury, Venus, and Saturn. (Florida Today)
NASA telescope discovers giant ring around Saturn Oct 8, 2009
SATURN'S MOONS: MERCURY: MARS. JPL spokeswoman Whitney Clavin said the ring is very diffuse and doesn't reflect much visible light but the infrared Spitzer telescope was able to detect it. (USA Today -- Tech)
Tortillas taste just great in zero gravity Oct 8, 2009
The six astronauts currently living aboard the ISS eat in relatively greater comfort and variety than space travel pioneers in Mercury and Gemini spacecraft four decades ago. John Glenn, aboard the Mercury-Atlas 6 Mission in 1962, crunched freeze-dried snacks and endured stew and applesauce squeezed out of toothpaste tube-like aluminum containers. (Asia Times Online)
SPACE PHOTOS THIS WEEK: Mercury Mystery, Eruption, More Oct 7, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009. SHARE RELATED STORIES. (National Geographic)
S&T Editor Garners Reporting Award Oct 7, 2009
He received the award for his article Reunion with Mercury, the cover story of the May 2008 issue, but there's a lot of history behind that. Kelly has written more than 100 feature-length articles for us and countless shorter news reports. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
scientists discover hell planet Oct 7, 2009
6 million miles from its star: 23 times closer than the innermost planet in our solar system, Mercury, is to the Sun. This proximity means that the planet is gravitationally locked, like the Moon to the Earth, so that one side of the planet always faces the star. (Harper's Magazine)
ManTech continues tech support at NASA facility Oct 7, 2009
JPL spacecraft have visited all of the planets from Mercury to Neptune. ManTechs teammates on the JPL contract include Alejo Engineering Inc., Aspen Products Inc., Fettig Research Evaluation Enterprises Inc., Fierheller Engineering Corp., KG Magnetics Inc., Newson Consulting Inc., Maden Technologies, Millennium Engineering Integration Co., MORI Associates Inc. and WestWind Engineering Inc.. (FCW.com)
A woman in space Oct 6, 2009
The following year the U.S. government established the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and in April 1959, NASA introduced the seven men who would comprise the first American astronaut group, better known as the Mercury 7 crew. Individually, the Mercury members made six flights between 1961 and 1963 of which two would reach space, defined as 62 miles above earth ... Lovelace was also among the team of experts who developed the physiological, medical and psychological criteria... (EurekAlert!)
The decision makers Oct 6, 2009
Who, exactly, expected these dangerous, mercury filled "energy saving" bulbs to save the planet. Where, exactly, do I sign to have the whole of parliament sacked (and preferrably weighted, before being dropped overboard). (Sydney Morning Herald -- Opinion)
Water Lust: Why All the Excitement When H2O Is Found in Space? Oct 5, 2009
Observational evidence suggests that water as a solid, liquid or gas is present at the poles of Mercury, within the thick clouds of Venus, on , inside asteroids and comets, and on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Scientists also have speculated that Jupiter's moons , Ganymede and Callisto have vast subsurface oceans of liquid water. (Scientific American)
Messenger's Third "Taste" of Mercury Oct 3, 2009
Closing in on Mercury, Messenger snapped this view of the planet from 16,700 miles (26,900 km) away ... NASA / JHU-APL / Carnegie Inst. of Washington That gives you a sense of what planetary scientists are experiencing at the moment, now that NASA's Messenger spacecraft has completed its third and final flyby of the planet Mercury ... Messenger (short for Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) has made one flyby of Earth and two of Venus besides the triple play at Mercury.... (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Looking Up: Demolition derby in the sky Oct 3, 2009
Look for planet Saturn a short distance below Venus, and planet Mercury very close by to Saturn. Binoculars will aid you in finding Saturn and Mercury, in the brightening dawn. (Belmont Citizen Herald, MA)
What's In Mercury's Bright Spot? Oct 3, 2009
What's In Mercury's Bright Spot ... What's In Mercury's Bright Spot ... A mysterious bright area on the surface of Mercury is seen near the top center of this image. (Fox News)
Spacecraft snaps stunning images of Mercury Oct 2, 2009
NASA's Messenger spacecraft on Wednesday beamed back pictures of previously unseen parts of Mercury despite a glitch that briefly caused on-board computers to shut down ... The spacecraft used Mercury's gravity to slow its speed by 6,000 mph as it whizzed within 142 miles of the surface, adjusting its trajectory so it can settle into orbit in about 18 months ... But those measurements were interrupted just before the closest approach at 5:55 p.m. Tuesday, while Messenger flew on battery power in... (Florida Today)
Mercurys bright spot gets an up-close photo Oct 2, 2009
Mercurys bright spot gets an up-close photo - Space ... Mercurys bright spot gets an up-close photo ... During its most recent flyby of Mercury, NASA's Messenger spacecraft caught another glimpse of the innermost planet's mysterious bright spot. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Alien World Rains Rocks Oct 2, 2009
6 million km) away from its parent star 23 times closer than Mercury sits to the sun. Locked and scorching. (Fox News)
Your views: Letters to the editor Oct 2, 2009
Mercury, Gemini and Apollo were all untested, but bright, young minds found a way to make them work. The shuttle itself had never been flown until John Young and Robert Crippen took Columbia for a ride in 1981. (Florida Today)
NASA spacecraft approaches Mercury Oct 1, 2009
NASA's has finished it 12,000 mile-per-hour flyby of Mercury, losing some data to a communications glitch, but successfully setting its course for a 2011 final rendezvous with the planet. Never seen before, a volcanic pit, a double crater and smooth plains revealed themselves on the spacecraft's 142-mile high passage over Mercury on Monday ... This third and final flyby was MESSENGERs last opportunity to use the gravity of Mercury to meet the demands of the cruise trajectory without using the... (USA Today -- Tech)
Mercury probe snaps images, suffers glitch Oct 1, 2009
Mercury probe snaps pictures but suffers glitch - Space ... Mercury probe snaps pictures but suffers glitch ... Craters and smoothplains extend for long distances to Mercury's northern horizon. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Pebble Rain: Exoplanet Has Bizarre Atmosphere Oct 1, 2009
6 million miles, 23 times less than the distance between the parboiled planet Mercury and our Sun. Because the planet is so close to the star, it is gravitationally locked to it in the same way the Moon is locked to Earth. (Science Daily)
MESSENGER Spacecraft Prepares For Final Pass By Mercury Sep 30, 2009
28, 2009) NASA's Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging spacecraft known as MESSENGER will fly by Mercury for the third and final time on Sept. 29. The spacecraft will pass less than 142 miles above the planet's rocky surface for a final gravity assist that will enable it to enter Mercury's orbit in 2011 ... Determining the composition of Mercury's surface is a major goal of the orbital phase of the mission. (Science Daily)
Air Pollutants From Abroad A Growing Concern Sep 30, 2009
The report examines four types of air pollutants: ozone; particulate matter such as dust, sulfates, or soot; mercury; and persistent organic pollutants such as DDT. The committee found evidence, including satellite observations, that these four types of pollutants can be transported aloft across the Northern Hemisphere, delivering significant concentrations to downwind continents ... For mercury and persistent organic pollutants, the main health concern is that their transport and deposition... (Science Daily)
Five bizarre objects Sep 30, 2009
One day on Mercury is two Mercury-years long. It spins so slowly that by the time it completes one full spin, the planet has travelled twice around the sun ... This is because there is no atmosphere on Mercury while the soupy atmosphere on Venus traps heat to create a greenhouse effect. (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
Scientists announce evidence of water on Moon Sep 30, 2009
"If this is the explanation (which it may not be) the same process would cause similar hydrations effect on any oxygen rich environment that doesn't have an atmosphere, for example, Mercury.". The scientists also present hypotheses on the occurrence of the water bearing minerals. (Astronomy Now Online)
Probe zooms past Mercury for last flyby Sep 30, 2009
NASA / JHUAPL / CarnegieA crescent Mercury shines against the blackness of space in a picture taken by NASA's Messenger spacecraft on Monday during its approach for a flyby ... A NASA spacecraft zoomed by Mercury on Tuesday to snap pictures of the planet's uncharted regions and fine-tune its path through the solar system, one that will ultimately place the probe in orbit around the small, rocky world ... The Messenger probe skimmed just 142 miles (228 km) above Mercury at its closest approach as... (MSNBC -- Technology)
A Full Moon Rising Sep 30, 2009
As Mercury goes direct, you could have a major personal breakthrough ... Your ruler, Mercury, finally goes direct this week after spending weeks in retrograde. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
Probe's pass and brake at Mercury Sep 30, 2009
Messenger is imaging the surface of Mercury at high resolution. Nasa's Messenger probe is about to make its third and final fly-by of Mercury ... By the time the fly-by is complete, the probe will have mapped 95% of Mercury's surface at high resolution. (BBC News -- Americas)
Groovy Ganymede: New Map Helps Reveal Origins of Mysterious Features on Solar System's Biggest Moon Sep 30, 2009
At 5,262 kilometers in diameter, it is larger than Mercury and , and would qualify as a planet itself, save for the primary exception that it orbits a planet rather than a star. A joint NASA/European Space Agency (ESA) mission to both and Ganymede is proposed to launch in 2020. (Scientific American)
> read more Sep 26, 2009
Before sunrise, look carefully below Venus for Mercury and Saturn becoming a little more visible each morning ... diagram Mercury barely emerges low in the sunrise by about September 29th ... Saturn follows Mercury up into dawn view by the end of the week. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Mercury ready for a rare close-up Sep 26, 2009
With four days remaining until Messenger's third flyby of Mercury, the spacecraft captured this image of the approaching planet. Mercury appears as a sunlit crescent ... Messenger's engineers have plotted those past flybys, and this final one, to brake the spacecraft's speed enough so that Mercury will capture the orbiter in a final March 2011 rendezvous that will set the spacecraft permanently circling the planet. (USA Today -- Tech)
Water Found on Moon, Probes Report Sep 25, 2009
If it is the solar wind, that also means that other places without atmosphere in our solar system, such as Mercury or asteroids, can also have bits of water, Sunshine said. MMIX The Associated Press. (CBS News)
Water on moon, Mars exceeds forecast Sep 25, 2009
If the solar wind hypothesis is true, Sunshine said, it suggests that the same process might form water on other oxygen-rich bodies without atmospheres in the inner solar system, including Mercury and many asteroids. Later Thursday, scientists reported discoveries made with the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which launched from Cape Canaveral in August 2005. (Florida Today)
U.N.: Can halt violence against women Sep 24, 2009
Latest news, Latest News Headlines, news articles, news video, news photos - UPI.com (Yahoo News -- Women's Issues)
Casinos told to cut commissions Sep 23, 2009
As the mercury starts to rise, so should the length of your trousers. Get fit for summer by turning your cycle commute into a proper workout, no matter how short the distance. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Business)
NASA Preview of MESSENGER's Third Flight Past Mercury Sep 23, 2009
WASHINGTON -- NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, Sept. 23, to preview the third and final flyby of Mercury by the Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging spacecraft known as MESSENGER.. On Sept. 29, the spacecraft will swing less than 142 miles above the planet's rocky surface for a final gravity assist that will enable it to enter orbit around Mercury in March 2011 ... - Noam R. Izenberg, instrument scientist, Mercury Atmospheric and Surface... (NASA Watch)
October skywatch: Meteor shower Sep 23, 2009
Venus, Saturn and Mercury put on an interesting display in the pre-dawn sky throughout October ... On the morning of Oct. 8, Saturn and Mercury are only about one third of a degree apart ... Venus, far brighter than Saturn and Mercury, shines about 6 degrees above them. (AZCentral -- Travel)
Rocky exo-world breaks new records Sep 22, 2009
It is also the closest planet to a star ever found, 23 times closer than Mercury is to the Sun. According to Moutou, it is likely that both planets formed further away from their star, before migrating inwards. (Astronomy Now Online)
Dementia to hit regions hardest Sep 22, 2009
Cancer: Mercury is making itself known today and can bring communication problems into your life ... Todays influence is pointed particularly at you as both Mercury and the Sun remain in your sign. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
The Planets Are Aligned Sep 19, 2009
Mercury is reminding you that sometimes you expect your sweetheart to be a mind reader, and this rarely produces good results. Make sure you are speaking in a clear and loving way. (The Star Online, Malaysia)
First rocky planet found outside solar system Sep 18, 2009
"What makes this exciting is you compare the density of this planet to the planets in our solar system, it's only Mercury, Venus and Earth that are similar," Hatzes, of the Thuringer observatory in Germany, told CNN. ... The planet whizzes around its star more than seven times faster than Earth moves, and is 23 times closer to the star than Mercury is to our sun. (CNN)
• COLUMN: Celebrate the autumnal equinox Tuesday, theequilux next Saturday Sep 17, 2009
Next week: Mercury is one step closer to having its own "moon.". Chris Anderson manages the College of Southern Idaho's Centennial Observatory in Twin Falls. (Burley South Idaho Press, ID)
Little Crater Targeted for Big Splash Sep 17, 2009
Andrews also announced that the LCROSS mission has been dedicated to the memory of the late Walter Cronkite, the longtime television news reporter and anchor who followed NASA's missions from the Mercury program in the early 1960s to Space Shuttle. So now it's time to start getting ready to observe lunar fireworks on October 9th. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Patterns In Mars Crater Floors Give Picture Of Drying Lakes Sep 17, 2009
29, 2008) A new model suggests that the origin of the Pantheon Fossae on the planet Mercury, a radiating web of troughs located in the giant Caloris Basin, is directly linked to an impact crater at the centre. (Oct. (Science Daily)
• Mercury found in T.F. parking lot Sep 16, 2009
ASHLEY SMITH/Times-NewsMembers of local firefighting agencies clean up an area Tuesday along Pheasant Road West in Twin Falls near a parking lot where mercury was found. Mercury found in T.F. parking lot By Jared S. HopkinsTimes-News writer State and local officials said they found mercury in a Twin Falls parking lot Tuesday that might have been exposed for more than a year ... Responding to a call at about 9 a.m., state, local and federal officials collected about 2 teaspoons of mercury in a... (Burley South Idaho Press, ID)
Saint-Exupery's Humane Imagination Sep 16, 2009
We read once more that message from a madman who claimed to have some business with us, and tacked towards Mercury. In Terre des Hommes, Saint-Ex also relates the story of the pilot Guillaumet, who crash lands during a snowstorm in the Andes. (The American Conservative)
First solid evidence for a rocky exoplanet Sep 16, 2009
5 million kilometres away from its host star, or 23 times closer than Mercury is to the Sun ... 2] We see exactly the same effect in our Solar System when Mercury or Venus transits the solar disc, as Venus did on 8 June 2004 (ESO PR 03/04). (EurekAlert!)
PC, TV, and Phone Problems Caused B... Sep 13, 2009
PC, TV, and Phone Problems Caused By Mercury. PC, TV, and Phone Problems Caused By Mercury ... Unexpected technology interferences, or any communication device, seem possessed by spirits by poor reception or scary suspenseful silences due to the planet Mercury. (Suite101.com)
Animal, Plant Fossils Not Needed For Crude Oil Sep 12, 2009
(June 19, 2007) A 4-year study of mercury in crude oil refined in the United States has found that, of the two major sources of U.S. fossil energy mined coal and crude oil crude oil contains much less toxic mercury. (Oct. (Science Daily)
Mercury's win earns home-court throughout playoffs Sep 12, 2009
However, if it comes down to a deciding game, she made sure the Mercury will be at home ... The Mercury's win, coupled with Eastern Conference-leading Indiana's 86-79 loss at Chicago, helped guarantee them the overall top playoff seed ... The Mercury scored the first four points of overtime to take the lead for good after getting all they could handle from the Storm in regulation. (FOX 11, AZ)
