| By JPL Photo Journal,
on 29-03-2008 03:02
|
Favoured : 10 |
The Mariner 10 image of Mercury's southwest quadrant
reveals the amount of destruction brought upon the planet by comets and
meteors. Since Mercury has no atmosphere, every object coming its way is
able to score a direct hit. This image was taken from the spacecraft where it made
it's closest pass to the planet at a distance of about 120,000 miles. The
largest craters are about 60 miles in diameter
The Mariner 10 spacecraft was launched in 1974. The spacecraft took
images of Venus in February 1974 on the way to three encounters with
Mercury in March and September 1974 and March 1975. The spacecraft took
more than 7,000 images of Mercury, Venus, the Earth and the Moon during
its mission. The Mariner 10 Mission was managed by the Jet Propulsion
Laboratory for NASA's Office of Space Science in Washington, D.C.
Here's the link to current photos, 33 years after the Mariner mission ended. JPL Photojournal
Last update : 23-09-2008 10:04
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