Mariner s Mercury
Explanation:
Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, remains
the most mysterious of the
Solar System's inner planets.
Hiding in the
Sun's glare it is
a
difficult target for Earth bound observers.
The only spacecraft to
explore Mercury
close-up was
Mariner 10 which three
executed
flybys of Mercury
in 1974 and 1975, surveying approximately 45
percent of its surface.
Mariner
10 deftly manuevered to
photograph part of the sunlit
hemisphere during each approach, passed behind the planet,
and continued to image the sun-facing side as the spacecraft receded.
Its highest resolution
photographs recorded features
approximately a mile across.
A reprocessing
of the
Mariner 10 data has resulted in this dramatic mosaic.
Like the Earth's Moon,
Mercury's surface
shows the scars
of impact cratering -
the smooth vertical band and patches visible above represent regions
where no image information is available.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
