The project development and active flight of the Mariner 10 deep-space probe mission is recounted in detail, with sequential blow-by-blow coverage. Early studies and speculation on the planet Mercury are reviewed, and the spin-orbit coupling and near-synchronous rotation of the planet are described. Use of Venus as a slingshot in a gravity-assist maneuver is described, and Mariner 10 records of Venus are shown. The three encounters of Mariner 10 with Mercury (March 1974, Aug. 1974, March 1975) are described in detail, with purposes, problems, mishaps, and glossy photographs recovered from Mariner 10 data. Information on the planet's magnetosphere, surface topography, inferred internal structure, and IR signature is provided, and the end-of-mission improvised solar-sail experiment is outlined.
Flight to Mercury
1977-01-01
Book
No indication
English
TIBKAT | 1977
|Mercury flight safety and reliability
NTRS | 1961
|Flight Experiences in the Mercury Program
NTRS | 1963
|Mercury ground and flight-test program
NTRS | 1961
|Mercury flight-control facilities and operation
NTRS | 1961
|