A spacecraft operated by the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency has made its final visit to Mercury, as scientists now work to guide BepiColombo into the planet's orbit.
During the sixth flyby, the ESA expected the spacecraft to fly less than 200 miles above the Swift Planet, while making measurements of Mercurythe magnetic field and capturing amazing images.
The mission, which is largely considered a success, has completed six visits of the planet since 2021, each time examining features such as craters and the planet's magnetic field.
The Space agency has released pictures which shows a rocky, crater-filled surface where lava flows have previously occurred.
One of several previously unknown craters was spotted by BepiColombo's cameras and was estimated to be nearly 100 miles across.
Following a request from the operations team, the International Astronomical Union recently named the crater 'Stoddart' in honor of Margaret Olrog Stoddart, a famous New Zealand artist known for her paintings flowers
“When we were planning for this flyby, we saw that this crater would be visible and decided it was worth mentioning because of the potential interest for BepiColombo scientists in the future,” said David Rothery, professor of planet and BepiColombo team member, previously. .
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Other large craters include the Caloris, Hokusai, Shakespeare and Vivaldi Basins, which are thought to have been created by impacts from large asteroids or comets.
The spacecraft will continue its journey into Mercury's orbit, where it will study the planet's surface and magnetic field in more detail for at least a year.
“In 2027, the main science phase of the mission will begin. The spacecraft's array of science instruments will reveal the unseen about the most mysterious planet in the Solar System, to better understand the origin and evolution of a planet close to its host star. said the ESA.
The mission is said to be running behind due to the limited amount of movement made by their electric thrusters.
A creative solution has been devised by the ESA spacecraft team, which has kept the mission on track by taking advantage of the planet's gravitational pull to help slow it down spaceship.
“We can't wait to see what BepiColombo reveals in this sixth and final Mercury tour.” While we are still two years away from the main science phase of the mission, we expect this event to provide us with beautiful images and important scientific insights. into the least-explored terrestrial planet,” Geraint Jones, a scientist at the ESA, said in a statement.
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The innermost planet is one of the least studied in the solar system, mainly because of its proximity to the planet sun.
Nose estimates that daytime temperatures on the planet can reach 800 °F, while nighttime readings can drop to -290 °F.
Several countries have proposed trying to land missions on the planet, but none are expected to launch from Earth before 2030.
Original article source: A spacecraft makes a final flyby of the smallest planet in the solar system
