MESSENGER

[Bob B.]

With Mars and Saturn getting all the attention lately it looks like the launch of NASA's MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) mission went by almost unnoticed.  It's my understanding the launch on 3-Aug-05 went as planned and, if everything continues to function properly, the spacecraft will arrive at Mercury in March 2011.

[evancise]

The MESSENGER launch was cool.  It was right in the middle of the last ISS EVA.  Here's the crew out doing a space walk, then we flip one of the big screens to the video feed from the pad, listen to the countdown, watch liftoff until it's out of sight, then back to EVA.  Truly a cool night for NASA.

[Jirnsum]

It was big news here on Dutch Television. Funny thing was that according to Dutch media the probe will study the earthcrust at Mercury: sounds like they would be doing that from a long way away then :p

[Bob B.]

I didn't see a thing about the launch on TV, but maybe I was just busy and not watching much news at the time.  I seem to recall there being an article in my local newspaper but that's all I saw.  Oh yeah, either Sky & Telescope or Astronomy (don't remember which) had an article.  It will be interesting to see what MESSENGER discovers when it gets there.  Too bad we have to wait 6.5 years.

[Simkid]

6.5 isn't that bad compared to the outer solar system probes, just wait till someone trys to launch somthign to another star   .

[Uziel]

6.5 isn't that bad compared to the outer solar system probes, just wait till someone trys to launch somthign to another star   .

Well I sure hope that happens in our lifetime..

[Simkid]

Well, I suppose it COULD, with lots of money and nuclear rockets and no ability to slow down at the destination.

[Uziel]

Well Simgkid, that would be pretty cool . Whats the closest star near us besides the sun? Do you think we will acheve light speed travel within our lifetime?      

auf bye

[Simkid]

Light, I don't think so, we could probably get somthing to accelerate to about .05 light with gravity assist and a fusion reactor based nuclear rocket.  Assuming no deceleration you could probably design somthing that could get to a star within 60-100 years.

[Jirnsum]

.5 times light speed? You're quite the optimist Simkid

Uziel: the closest star to our Sun is Alfa Centauri, at a bit more than 4 lightyears.

[Simkid]

Yeah, I meant .05, that gets the 60-100 year travel time, although actually, you probably wouln't need a fusion rocket, fisson should be able to do it (although I dont like the idea of launching a reactor).

[Uziel]

Wow, thanks for the answers. You people are really geniouses. It would be quite amazing to get to another star, but how long would it take for signals to return to Earth?

[Bob B.]

...but how long would it take for signals to return to Earth?

Communication signals would travel at light speed, thus the time would be equivalent to the star's distance in light years.  For instance, Alpha Centauri is 4.3 light years away so signals sent from there would take 4.3 years to reach Earth.

[Bob B.]

Here are some pretty cool pictures and a movie of MESSENGER's flyby of Earth on 2-Aug-05.

Earth Flyby Pictures and Animations

The movie is awesome.

[LunarOrbit]

Cool! 

Wait until Bart Sibrel sees that video... he'll use it as proof that the Apollo footage of the Earth from a distance is fake because it isn't rotating as fast as it is in the Messenger video.