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Image Two Mercury weeks

Countdown to the orbital insertion of the probe MESSENGER.

Next March 18 small and select family of worlds orbiting rovers ( Venus, Mars, Moon and Saturn) will receive a new member ... that day, and after a long seven-year journey, MESSENGER will enter orbit around the Sun closer to of all the planets of the Solar System . Back will become a real "global pool" during which flew Earth, Venus and thrice himself Mercury, all to get the trajectory and speed to this point, the orbital insertion, successful completion.

empzarán operations 33 hours before, when two antennas (one main and one that will act as a "backup) network Deep Space Network begin to follow the massenger continuously, rising to five when there are just under 4 hours of the meeting, 4 of them working together and the remaining list in case one of the first fail.

When only stay two hours to the time of entry into orbit will begin to change the configuration of the systems and equipment MESSENGER (solar panels, communications, attitude control and autonomous systems) to let ready to power up the engines, while the probe itself will turn on itself to be placed in the proper orientation. The operations will end minutes before time 0.

This will at 00:45 UTC on March 18, when he lit the main driver of the probe with the aim of slowing down and allowing gravity to Marcurio catch it, an operation that will last 15 minutes, until 1:00 UTC, moments that will turn off the engines. In total, 31% consumed all available fuel.

The confirmation of the success (or failure) of the orbital insertion arrive 10 minutes later at 1:15 UTC, once MESSENGER be directed toward Earth and send all data from the maneuver, you'll need about 9 minutes to complete and a similar time to be processed and sent to the control center. It will not be until 3:00 UTC when I can confirm that the probe is already in orbit around Mercury .

Meanwhile, 23 minutes after driving off, the spacecraft will return to its normal configuration and an hour later he will close the special follow-up offered by the Deep Space Network .

If all goes to plan, at 6:48 am UTC massenger the start its first full orbit around the planet, which will initially last for 12 hours and with a point of minimal distance from the surface of 500 miles, although in the future be reduced to 200. From this phase will open to check the status of systems, which will be critical moment on March 24, when it will proceed to the activation and testing scientific instruments.

Finally, on April 4 will start the study activity on the planet and sending the first data.


orbital insertion and early hours of the MESSENGER and Mercury's constant companion.


Critics ignition 15 minutes drive Main massenger, of which their future depends.

The Deep Space Network: California, Madrid and Canberra

MESSENGER