Machines of Exploration
COMING IN 2010
In stunning crystal, spacecraft that have revolutionized how we explore beyond Earth and enhance our understanding of our Solar System, our galaxy, and the greater universe.
Currently planned are crystal pieces for: the Space Shuttle, MESSENGER to Mercury, Cassini at Saturn, New Horizons to Pluto, Phoenix on Mars, and Viking on Mars.
If you have a suggestion for a particular spacecraft, send us an email at info@ncesse.org.
MESSENGER in Mercury Orbit
Artist's impression of the MErcury
Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER)
spacecraft in orbit at Mercury. MESSENGER
launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., on Aug.
3, 2004, and will begin a yearlong orbital study of Mercury
in March 2011. Though
the Sun is up to 11 times brighter at Mercury than we see on
Earth and surface temperatures can reach 450 degrees Celsius
(about 840 degrees Fahrenheit), MESSENGER's instruments will
operate at room temperature behind a sunshade of heat-resistant
ceramic fabric. The spacecraft will also pass only briefly over
the hottest parts of the surface, limiting exposure to heat reradiated
from the planet.
Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins
University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of
Washington
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