Mission to Mercury

• Autores: Andy Coghlan
• Localización: New scientist, ISSN 0262-4079, Nº. 3157-3158, 2017, págs. 38-39
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • It should be signposted "Welcome to hell". Mercury, the sun's closest neighbour, sees blasts of radiation and extreme temperatures--and it's where we're headed next. In October 2018, a probe called BepiColombo will set off on an epic seven-year voyage to orbit the scorched world. Provided it can withstand the unforgiving 350°Celsius after it arrives in 2025, the craft will try to unravel some of the enigmas left after observations by two previous missions to the planet. BepiColombo may confirm that the material is indeed solid ice, and work out how it survives. "It could be that the ice is always in shadow, so sunlight never shines on it, explaining why it's been there for billions of years:' says Johannes Benkhoff of the European Space Agency, which is running the mission alongside the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. But getting there will be no cakewalk. It's easier to get to Pluto, says Benkhoff.