Why the devices fly to Mercury for several years, and to Mars only a few months

Despite its relative proximity to Earth, Mercury is still one of the least studied planets in our solar system. It turned out that launching a research probe to this planet is much more difficult than to Mars or even to Saturn or Jupiter. What is the insidiousness of Mercury, and why, despite the 60-year history of space exploration, we still know so little about the planet closest to the Sun?

Externally, Mercury is very similar to the moon

With a radius of 2,439.7 kilometers, Mercury is the smallest planet in the solar system and is closest to our star, with an average distance of 58 million kilometers. But its orbit is very elongated, so the minimum distance to the Sun is only 46 million kilometers, and the maximum is 58 million kilometers.

Such proximity to the Sun creates a number of problems for researchers. From the surface of the Earth, it is almost impossible to see the details of a small planet located so close to the huge Sun. And even the Hubble orbital telescope cannot help astronomers who want to unravel the secrets of Mercury: it cannot be pointed at the planet, as sunlight can damage unique optics. Therefore, for those who want to learn more about Mercury, there is only one way left - the launch of aircraft to the planet.

But here, not everything is as simple as, for example, with Mars or Jupiter. The path to the orbit of Mercury takes many years, while it is possible to fly to Mars, which is located not much further, in just 6-7 months. The reason is partly in the proximity of the Sun, and more precisely in its gravitational impact. Any device directed directly to Mercury falls into a gravitational funnel arising due to the gravitational force of the huge Sun. In this regard, the trajectory of the apparatus should be designed in such a way as to avoid falling into this funnel. In addition, it is necessary to slow down the research apparatus in order for it to enter the very elongated orbit of Mercury. After approaching the planet itself, it is necessary to spend a significant amount of fuel in order to get into the zone of attraction of Mercury and get as close to it as possible. All these maneuvers take a lot of time, and it is for this reason that the journey of research vehicles to Mercury takes several years, and the research itself is quite expensive.

If to Mars and Venus - two other planets of the terrestrial group and our closest neighbors - aircraft were repeatedly sent, some of which successfully landed and conducted a surface study, then this can not be said about Mercury. Not a single device from the Earth has ever "landed" on this planet, and even managed to get closer to the mysterious planet only twice.

Probe Messenger The device "Baby Colombo"

At the end of October 2018, the European Space Agency decided to join the study of the very first planet from the Sun and sent the BepiColombo probe to it. It consists of two devices designed by Japanese and European experts. On its way, the device will have to complete 9 gravitational maneuvers, and only in December 2025 it will take its position in the orbit of Mercury. Bepi Colombo also does not plan to land on the planet, but will study it from a distance. To establish the presence or absence of the ionosphere, to determine a more accurate composition of the surface and atmosphere - this is the list of tasks that the probe has to solve.

Watch the video: Real Reason NASA Hasn't Sent Humans To Mars (March 2024).

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