Hum Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 The planet closest to the sun appears to have more ice at its poles than does Earth's moon, say scientists analyzing data from the Messenger spacecraft. Despite their proximity to the sun, portions of the surface of Mercury appear to be covered in ice, scientists said Thursday after analyzing about 20,000 new images of the solar system's smallest planet. The pictures beamed to Earth by the Messenger spacecraft strongly suggest that frozen water ? and perhaps other frozen substances ? coat portions of impact craters near the planet's north and south poles. Permanently enshrouded in shadow, these surfaces are typically 300 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. "One of the great ironies is that Mercury may have more ice at its poles than even our own moon," Jim Green, director of NASA's Planetary Science Division, said at a news conference in Washington. The pictures taken by Messenger reveal that the planet closest to the sun ? once considered "the burnt-out cinder of the solar system," as Green put it ? is a world unlike any other. Messenger, which entered Mercury's orbit in March, is providing panoramic views of expansive, smooth volcanic plains that cover an area roughly half the size of the continental U.S. Scientists can see, in great detail, faults formed when pieces of Mercury's crust were pushed together, as well as numerous impact craters that have been covered over by lava flows. They are also getting a close-up look at the dark area around the central peak of the Degas crater in the planet's northern hemisphere and the scar-like remnants of pyroclastic flows, once fast-moving, boiling rivers of gas and rock. more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farstrider Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I'm not creative enough to come up with a real comment, really! I did mean it in a good way truly, I find these subjects fascinating! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Growled Member Posted June 17, 2011 Member Share Posted June 17, 2011 That's amazing. I'm not sure anyone dreamed of finding that much ice on Mercury. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share Posted June 17, 2011 I would think the entire planet would be warm, to say the least. I guess in theory, you could set up a livable base on Mercury then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vincent Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I would think the entire planet would be warm, to say the least. I guess in theory, you could set up a livable base on Mercury then. -300f? I don't think so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share Posted June 17, 2011 ^ The entire planet can't be -300 ... there has to be some areas where the temperatures would be something close to 'normal'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
threetonesun Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 I would think the entire planet would be warm, to say the least. I guess in theory, you could set up a livable base on Mercury then. ?183 ?C to 427 ?C No atmosphere, so it's hot where the sun shines, and cold where it don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted June 17, 2011 Author Share Posted June 17, 2011 ^ I am not saying you can plant crops and grass. But there must be pockets of reasonable temps, a few miles from the ice caps, where an enclosed base could exist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoredBozirini Posted June 17, 2011 Share Posted June 17, 2011 ^ I am not saying you can plant crops and grass. But there must be pockets of reasonable temps, a few miles from the ice caps, where an enclosed base could exist. Only in the mid-morning of Mercury can something like a base could exist. As soon as you reach noon, it gets so hot almost all metals melt (though we gotta remember that in Mercury, it takes to get from morning to noon around a month in Earth time). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seizure1990 Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 But there must be pockets of reasonable temps, a few miles from the ice caps, where an enclosed base could exist. That only works in a planet with an atmosphere to speak of. Mercury has no such thing, and the very moment sunlight is no longer hitting the surface, any heat disappears. Earth works the way it does because of it's relatively thick atmosphere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fred Derf Veteran Posted June 18, 2011 Veteran Share Posted June 18, 2011 Mercury sounds like that prison planet from The Chronicles of Riddick. If you are caught in the open sun then you fry but if you hide in a crater then you could find yourself standing on ice. Without an atmosphere the heat of the sun doesn't expand to fill all of the hidden places (particularly in the poles). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carmatic Posted June 18, 2011 Share Posted June 18, 2011 im thinking that mercury could be an awesome place for some kind of base which uses thermodynamic power i.e. the flow of heat to power machines ... kind of abit like steam powered machines, the hot side could be used to boil the water while the permenantly dark areas will absorb the heat from the steam and condenses it to water before going back to the hot side, so it goes in a cycle and you can turn turbines etc with the steam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted June 18, 2011 Author Share Posted June 18, 2011 im thinking that mercury could be an awesome place for some kind of base which uses thermodynamic power i.e. the flow of heat to power machines ... kind of abit like steam powered machines, the hot side could be used to boil the water while the permenantly dark areas will absorb the heat from the steam and condenses it to water before going back to the hot side, so it goes in a cycle and you can turn turbines etc with the steam Sounds like a good idea. But then, I'm not sure why we would want a base on Mercury. And how do you protect a ship of humans, while you approach the Sun ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BoredBozirini Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Sounds like a good idea. But then, I'm not sure why we would want a base on Mercury. And how do you protect a ship of humans, while you approach the Sun ... Just make the ship (and the base) out of any element with a melting point higher than 500 degrees Celcius. Carbon would be wonderful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hum Posted June 19, 2011 Author Share Posted June 19, 2011 ^ Don't think that will take care of the Sun's high radiations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocM Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Solar "radiation" during the low sunspot periods is much reduced, and mostly not x-rays. For this water blankets (Bigelow uses them), polyethelene or other high-hydrogen materials (again, Bigelow habs - 16" of it.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihilus Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I think the primary issue with creating a "liveable" base on mercury would be finding volunteers to live there :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elessar Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 Only in the mid-morning of Mercury can something like a base could exist. As soon as you reach noon, it gets so hot almost all metals melt (though we gotta remember that in Mercury, it takes to get from morning to noon around a month in Earth time). Logically, we'd set the base(s) up as far in towards the poles as we can stand during construction. Much easier to heat a base than it is to cool it off. I'm sure with the right math NASA could find an ideal location for the base as well as a solar panel field. I think the primary issue with creating a "liveable" base on mercury would be finding volunteers to live there :D I thought they already found 300+? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nihilus Posted June 19, 2011 Share Posted June 19, 2011 I thought they already found 300+? For mercury? :| Think that was Mars :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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