Right now (2012) we are in the Golden Age of Planetary Exploration Cassini Rosetta Messenger Dawn New Horizons • Launched 2004 Mercury: • 3 fly-by’s (2008 - 2009) • Orbit insertion Mar 17, 2011 MESSENGER • Only prior mission was Mariner 10 fly-by in 1975 MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging Mercury: MESSENGER Expected Data Products: • Global stereo imaging (250 m/pixel) • Global surface composition maps • 3-D model of magnetosphere • Topography of N. hemisphere • Gravity field (16th degree) • Detection of water ice at poles? First image of previously unseen side of Mercury, taken during the 2nd MESSENGER fly-by in Oct. 2008 Currently active spacecraft at Mars: • 3 Orbiters – Mars Odyssey (2001 - ) – Mars Express (2003 - ) (ESA) – Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (2006 - ) • 2 Rovers – MER-A “Spirit” (2004 - ) – MER-B “Opportunity” (2004 - ) Recently active s/c at Mars: • Phoenix Mars Lander (2008) • Mars Global Surveyor orbiter (1997 - 2006) Imminent / Future Mars missions: • Mars Science Laboratory rover (launched in 2011, landing in Aug. 2012) • MAVEN orbiter (planned for 2013) • ExoMars rover (planned for 2016) (ESA) Saturn: Cassini / Huygens • Launched in 1997 • Saturn orbit insertion 2004 • Huygens probe released and descended to surface of Titan (Jan. 14, 2005) • Elliptical orbit for multiple fly-by’s of Saturn’s moons • Mission extended through 2017 Saturn’s moons: Cassini Fly-by’s • 50+ moons • 7 moons with D>400 km • Multiple close fly-by’s for each large moon Cassini: T-57 Titan encounter (June 22, 2009) Close encounters like this still occurring every month even now (March 2012) Or this…. Iapetus D=1470 km Asteroid Orbiter: Dawn In orbit around Vesta now, Leaves in May 2012 Arrives at Ceres in 2015 Ceres D=950 km Vesta D=530 km Other Current Missions • Rosetta: Comet orbiter and lander – Launched 2004; Comet rendezvous 2014 • New Horizons: Pluto fly-by – Launched 2006; Arrives Pluto 2015 – May continue on to Kuiper Belt Object • Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter – Launched 2009 • And more….. .