Marc
from Bowie, MD
How long does it take for the Delta 2 Rocket to reach Mach 1? |
Juan
Rodriguez from Oviedo (Spain)
MESSENGER uses a shield to protect itself against very high temperatures.
But are low temperatures dangerous for the space probe? What will you do
to protect the probe against very low temperatures during some part of
the orbit around Mercury, which is in the shadow? |
Peter
from Basel Swiss
Why will Messenger not have a Probe land on Mercury? Is it too hot for
landing? |
Art
from Los Altos
What are the planned orbital parameters once in orbit around Mercury (closest
approach, farthest point, period, etc.), and how long is the primary mission
planned for? |
Rich
from Elk Grove
In the information I read about MESSENGER, it is noted that MESSENGER and
the Cassini mission are very similar. Can you compare the 2 spacecraft
and note any different equipment and sensors between them? |
Rich
from Elk Grove
How long will it take MESSENGER to arrive at Mercury? What path will the
spacecraft take to get there? |
Dimitri
from Ormond Beach FL
Why does it take so long (seven years) for it to reach Mercury and orbit
it? |
Cyril
from Aix-en-Provence
Will man walk one day on the planet Mercury? If not, why? |
Tim
from Moncton, Canada
How long until we see usable fusion/antimatter hybrid spaceships? |
Steven
from Spartanburg
How long will the mission last? |
Steven
from Redondo Beach
What kind of resolution and accuracy will the "Mercury Laser Altimeter" (MLA)
measure in and how does it compare to the Mars (MOLA) in terms of resolution? |
Renato
from S Paulo Brazil
What's the highest resolution we can get with MESSENGER's cameras? |
Kenny
Keese from Dallas, TX
At what point will the spacecraft deploy itself from the launching adapter
of the Delta rocket? Will this launch be similar to launch of the larger
Cassini spacecraft? |
Thomas
from Lochem(Holland)
Why wasn't Mercury investigated earlier? It is afterall an interesting
planet to study. |
Junichi
from Niihama-city
With the planet Mercury being so unknown to us, how with the pictures taken
by MESSENGER be more helpful than those taken by the Mariner 10 Mission? |
Junichi
from Niihama-city
How difficult will it be to get MESSENGER into Mercury's orbit? |
Junichi
MAKI from Niihama-city
What sort of solar effects will MESSENGER encounter during its mission? |
Junichi
MAKI from Niihama-city
How are you preparing MESSENGER to protect it against solar radiation on
its way to Mercury since Mercury is so close to the Sun? |
LeRoy
from Silver Spring
Is there any additional "dollar" cost when the originally scheduled launch
time and date are postponed? |
Steven
from Redondo Beach
Is the sun shield technology used to protect the electronics sufficient
to protect a human being should a man travel to Mercury? |
Gregor
from Ljubljana - SLO
What kind of an impact would a solar flare have on the spacecraft so close
to the sun? |
Robert
from Tucson AZ
Will MESSENGER after completing It's mission objective period,have the
same fate as the Pioneer 10 ,orbiting the sun and making periodical close
approaches to Mercury forever? Or will it crash to the surface? |
Jonathan
from RochesterMN
Where is the projectile subsystem to shock Mercury and have the lander
record vibrations. Could we reuse the Mars satellite platform(s) to make
the lander/mothership combo cheaper? |
Mathangi
from Chennai
How are you planning to protect the MESSENGER from the Solar radiation
which is very hot. What are the likely observations planned. |
Bob
from Belvidere
Is there any evidence that Mercury has MASCONS like the Moon does that
would affect MESSENGER's orbit? |
Bob
from Belvidere
Are there additional opportunities to use MESSENGER during its long flight
(i.e., observations of sun grazing comets or asteroids, looking for objects
within Mercury's orbit)? Also, what are some of the difficulties in getting
signals back from MESSENGER since the source will always be very close
to the sun from the Earth's point of view? |
Jagadis
Chaks from Bombay
Do you have any plan to protect the MESSENGER from tiny asteriods, etc.?
I mean to say, change the course of travel temorarily to avoid them, or
by some other means, and how? |
sagar
agarwal from mumbai
MESSENGER is made up of which element? Could it bear the high temperature
in the Mercury orbit? Won't it melt? |
Yi
Ci from singapore
What will MESSENGER do at Mercury? And why? |
Mark
from Danville
Will you be using the deep space network to communicate with the spacecraft?
Will the spacecraft use the gravity assist from other planets? |
John
from Baton Rouge, LA
How much more will you find out about Mercury, do you think? Also, what
if a solar storm that makes more than x20 hits MESSENGER, what will happen?
Will it blow up? |
Junichi
MAKI from Niihama-city
Is MESSENGER able to solve and/or observe the question that Mercury goes
around the Sun in a wildly elliptical (non-circular) orbit? |
shankar
from chennai
Is there a possibility of extra-terrestials on the planet? |
Christopher
from Beaumomt, TX
It seems like such a long time to reach Mercury. Would a more powerful
launch vehicle shorten this time? If so, how much time could be shaved
off MESSENGER's journey with an ideal launch vehicle? |
Dan
from Omaha
How could water ice have formed on a planet with almost no atmosphere where
surface temperatures can reach 467 degrees celsius and how long did it
take for it to get there? |
charvelle
from waterville
Do you honestly think that we will ever be able to try to live or even
ever go to Mercury? With people? |
charvelle
from waterville
Wouldn't it be too hot to go to Mercury? Due to its location? |
Kyle
from West Bend, WI
What are you going to do with the MESSENGER probe once the mission is complete?
Is it going to be crashed into Mercury like Galileo was crashed into Jupiter? |
Vance
from Chardon
Would it be possible to do with MESSENGER at the end of its mission that
was done with NEAR-Shoemaker on Eros by getting some very close up images
of the surface before it crashes? |
Vance
from Chardon
Would it be possible to do with MESSENGER at the end of its mission that
was done with NEAR-Shoemaker on Eros by getting some very close up images
of the surface before it crashes? |
bret
lane from dalton nh
What is the life of the spacecraft and will radiation have anything to
do with how long it will last? |
peter
from marion Ind.
What can you tell me about the ion propulsion system? |
Kim
from Winnemucca, NV
Instead of a high gain antenna MESSENGER uses phased array antennas. How
do they work and are the as effective as a high gain antenna? |
jonathan
from cornwall, uk
How much fuel does the MESSENGER carry? What sort of power [bhp] would
the rocket that took it out of the atmosphere have? |
Roger
from Alden, NY
With today's technology, what is the maximum speed a spacecraft can travel
without flying through a star or planet? |
John
from Plainsboro
Please explain the trajectory mechanics in more detail. There are multiple
flybys and it's unclear from what I can find on the site whether they are
for braking or just oberervation. PS: A trajectory diagram, animation and
discussion would be a great addition to the MESSENGER web site! |
George
from Dallas
Why does NASA always use such slow computer processors in its probes? 25Mhz
seems pretty slow, even my PDA is 400Mhz. |
Matthew
from Zagreb
What type of engine does MESSENGER have? Thank you |
Otis
from Little Rock
How will the spacecraft temp. be controlled? |
Charles
from Santa Clara, CA
What parts of USA could directly observe any part of the launch? Could
you add to the MESSENGER web site a map of the ground path of the launch? |
David
from New York City
When planning the Messenger trajectory, did you have to account for the
General Relativistic effects on Mercury's orbit? |
vk
from delhi
I also want to become a part of your mission. How is it possible? |
Robert
from Tucson AZ
Our schools most proud of NASA and what they repesent. We love the NASA
channel and the wonderful updates, programs and history. How can our schools
get involved in NASA projects like MESSENGER? What can NASA do to get these
young students to appreciate and get involved in the many wonderful NASA
programs? |
W.L.
from Russellville,Ar
What will be the average and highest estimated radiation dose to the spacecraft
during the span of the mission? |
