In NASA’s Lens, Mercury Comes Into Focus
By Alli Corbat
This article discusses the planned intimate study of Mercury conducted by NASA. The Mercury Messenger spacecraft has been sent to orbit the planet for a year taking close-up photographs to help learn more about this planet. Mercury is said to be the “last frontier of planetary exploration.” According to some astronomers it has been quite a mystery causing many scientists’ attention for thousands of years. Most but not all of the other planets within our galaxy have received similar study through similar orbiters. Astronomers have had brief glimpses of this planet due to other satellites and the like but this is the first time it will be studied up close and for a long duration of time. Mercury is the smallest of the 8 planets (as Pluto is no longer considered one). It has vast temperature ranges and deep craters along with suspected ice. Over 75, 000 photos are going to be taken over the next year. In addition the spacecraft will be able to detect the minerals present on the planet and possibly help explain its magnetic field. Mercury also has tectonic plates unlike any other planet besides Earth, which can potentially help us understand the movement of ours. Many mysteries remain over this planet and hopefully NASA’s expedition can help answer these.
This article is significant because the more we learn about other planets the more it can help us understand our own. For example, the relationship between the tectonic plates on Mercury and Earth could help us predict when and where ours will shift, perhaps preventing or better predicting natural disasters. Its important to learn about the galaxy around us and it potential benefits.
Overall the article was interesting and fairly simple. It highlighted the important of NASA and space inquiry, while using engrossing visual aids. It was a straight forward article that still held my attention.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/31/science/space/31mercury.html?partner=rss&emc=rss
5 comments:
Alli wrote a really good review for her chosen current event article. She chose a very interesting topic which definitely helped make her review better and she did an excellent job of explaining it. It seems she has a clear understanding of what she read. I thought it was very interesting how Alli compared the tectonic plates on Mercury and Earth which can help us predict when and where ours will shift. I also learned that Pluto is no longer considered a planet which is both shocking and interesting. It was great how Alli used quotes to back up her evidence. The one thing she could have improved on was the length; I think there could’ve been more interesting information put forth that she may have missed.
Mercury’s Messenger spacecraft has been orbiting the planet for a year taking photographs of the surface of the planet. Mercury is apparently one of the most mysterious planets in the solar system, because it is the only planet not to have been studied by an orbiting satellite until now. It was interesting to note that Mercury and Earth have tectonic plates which are different from all the other planets in the solar system. This means that the two planets are more similar then they appear. I am also curious about the 75,000 pictures that will be taken in the next year to explain the minerals and magnetic field of Mercury. This is information that will be important for the field of astronomy.
This article could have been improved in several ways. I felt that it was rather short, and it did not include enough details about the satellite and Mercury. I also would have liked to know more about the minerals and magnetic field of Mercury and what makes them so unique.
This is a potentially important article because it is possible that some of the photos of Mercury could reveal important, undiscovered facts about this unknown planet. Since Mercury has a few similarities to Earth, these observations could also be applied to Earth. I look forward to learning more about the photographs of Mercury’s surface and what they reveal.
1. I liked how she gave very thorough details about the planet mercury and how it relates to the article.
2. I liked how she explained what the mercury messenger spacecraft is doing and how it is getting all of the pictures from space.
3. She gave a really good explanation of how the knowledge of Mercury helps us know more about earth. Also she explains well the connection between the two planets specifically how the tectonic plates shift.
1. I thought her review could have been longer and gone into a little more detail at times. However other than that I thought it was thorough and complete.
2. I thought she could have explained the “mystery” scientists are so fascinated in, in more detail because it is a little confusing.
1. I didn’t know that Pluto is no longer considered a planet.
Overall I thought this was a well written review. I liked the details that she used from the article and how they were explained. I also thought it was a timely choice of an article because of the debate over whether or not NASA should be privatized or remain a strong interest of government spending. I was surprised to read about the Mercury messenger being in orbit for more than a year now and I didn’t know that both Earth and Mercury had tectonic plates. Despite all of the interesting facts that were presented I also thought that a few more details from the article could have been used instead of using vast outside knowledge (only 8 planets in the solar system, Pluto no longer considered one). I also think that she could have explained why Mercury remains so mysterious besides the fact that it is a foreign planet; what makes it more mysterious than the other planets. Prior to reading this article I was unaware that NASA even had a satellite orbiting Mercury.
This article was interesting, detailed and well chosen. In a time of increased threat due to climate change, different methods of stopping and preventing climate change must be explored. I didn't know that cloning trees to reduce CO2 was even possible, making the topic of the article much more interesting. The detailed explanation of the processes and the challenges scientists are facing made it even more enticing to read, while giving readers a broader understanding of the subject being discussed.
To improve the article I would have added a few more details. Details like, who is funding these experiments? Are the environmentally and financially viable? Will they be able to reverse a significant amount of CO2 damage or will the efforts be for nothing? Additionally, more details concerning the actual science of the processes may have been interesting to know.
Overall I was surprised to find that cloning trees as a means of reducing CO2 was even a reality. It seems to be an interesting concept which will hopefully lead to results quickly. By cloning trees and repopulating forests, not only are we reducing CO2 but rehabilitating displaced animals, and recalibrating the ecosystems in those areas for the better. As the Japanese say, the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago.
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