New mosaic of Mercury shows previously unseen features

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New mosaic of Mercury shows previously unseen features

2010-01-05

12:18:51 am, by Pablo Edronkin, 209 words

Categories: Geology and Mineralogy, PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO, Surveying and Prospecting, Geography, Geophysics, Solar System

New mosaic of Mercury shows previously unseen features

When the MESSENGER spacecraft completed its third and final fly-by of Mercury in September, cartographic experts from the U. S. Geological Survey used the imagery captured to complete a mosaic showing the 55 percent of the planet never seen by humankind.

The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) spacecraft was launched in 2004 and is the first mission in more than 30 years to visit the planet Mercury. The trip requires multiple "fly-bys" to alter trajectory, slow the spacecraft and eventually enter orbit, which will happen in March 2011. Until then, the new image mosaic will be used to plan image observations for when the spacecraft is orbiting Mercury.

The sophisticated image mosaicking processes is critical to the scientific success of planetary missions. In the past, these efforts have created important planning tools for systematic mapping of planetary surfaces as well as the selection of landing sites.

While the average person may be familiar with the process of creating mosaics by using their personal computer to merge several photos together, there are some significant differences in this case.

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Source: USGS

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