Space probe makes 1st Venus fly-by on way to Mercury
BERLIN โ A spacecraft bound for Mercury swung by Venus on Thursday, using Earth's neighbor to adjust its course on the way to the solar systemโs smallest and innermost planet. The fly-by is the second of nine so-called planetary gravity assists that the spacecraft needs for its seven-year trip to Mercury. Mercuryโs extreme temperatures, the intense gravity pull of the sun and blistering solar radiation make for hellish conditions. BepiColombo will make one more fly-by of Venus and six of Mercury itself to slow down before its arrival in 2025. The last spacecraft to visit Mercury was NASAโs Messenger probe, which ended its mission in 2015 after a four-year orbit.
Looking back on American human spaceflight history: Mercury, Gemini paved way for moonshot
Leading up to the May 27 launch of NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken weโre taking a look back at milestones in U.S. human spaceflight that paved the way for future astronauts, starting with the Mercury and Gemini projects. (NASA)A chimpanzee named Enos launched in the Mercury spacecraft on an Atlas rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Feb. 20, 1962: First American to orbit EarthPresident John F. Kennedy and Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson greet astronaut John Glenn. (Image: LBJ Presidential Library/NASA)Less than a year after the second human spaceflight from the U.S., Astronaut John Glenn Jr. made history becoming the first American to orbit the Earth three times. (Image: NASA History Office) (WKMG 2020)While the Mercury spacecraft could only carry one astronaut, Gemini was designed to fly the first two-person crew.
Mercury will make a rare pass across sun
Even more rare is when the planet Mercury passes right across the middle of the sun, and it's happening Monday. A Mercury transit, as it's called, occurs only 13 times in 100 years, according to NASA, and it won't be seen from North America again for another 30 years, or from anywhere until 2032. ET, it will take more than five hours for Mercury to pass from one side of the sun to the other. Mercury, the smallest planet in our solar system, will be just a tiny dot on the sun, so NASA recommends using a telescope with a certified solar filter. According to NASA, the Solar Dynamics Observatory's website' will be showing "near real-time" images of the transit, so you don't have to miss this rare event, no matter where you are.
Which otherwise-obscured planet will be visible during eclipse?
For those who will be witnessing totality during the Great American Eclipse on Monday, youโre in for a real treat: not only will you see the sun completely blocked by the new moon -- so long as itโs not cloudy -- but it will get eerily dark. Birds may become confused or stop flying. And if you know where to look, you may even be able to spot a hidden planet.