spacetoday.net: space news from around the webin association with SpaceNews


MESSENGER reveals new insights about Mercury
Posted: Fri, Jun 17, 2011, 6:53 AM ET (1053 GMT)
MESSENGER in orbit around Mercury (JHUAPL) Early analysis of data returned by NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft have provided planetary scientists with new information about the innermost planet. MESSENGER entered orbit around Mercury in March after performing three flybys of the planet, and is now returning a steady flow of data. Scientists have used MESSENGER to measure craters at the poles, finding that some craters are deep enough to be in permanent shadow. That supports earlier radar observations of the planet's poles that detected signatures consistent with ice that could survive for extended periods in shadowed regions. Other observations revealed that bright, patchy deposits seen in some crater floors are rimless pits surrounded by diffuse halos of more reflective material that could be linked to volatiles in the planet's crust. MESSENGER's instruments have also detected a regular series of energetic events in the planet's magnetosphere.
<<previous article   next article>>
news in brief
Airbus, Leonardo, Thales announce space joint venture
Posted: Sat, Oct 25 11:27 AM ET (1527 GMT)

ESA finalizing 22 billion euro ministerial package
Posted: Sat, Oct 25 11:23 AM ET (1523 GMT)

Iridium reduces forecasts citing SpaceX D2D competition
Posted: Sat, Oct 25 11:19 AM ET (1519 GMT)

news links
Friday, October 31
SpaceX targeting Friday for Starlink mission from Vandenberg SFB
Santa Maria (CA) Times — 7:30 am ET (1130 GMT)
U.S. Launch Sites Prep for Future Growth
Aviation Week — 7:26 am ET (1126 GMT)
Blue Origin Completes New Glenn Static Hot Fire
Aviation Week — 7:22 am ET (1122 GMT)


about spacetoday.net   ·   info@spacetoday.net   ·   mailing list