Asked by Angie
What other challenges do you think there would be for engineers designing a spacecraft to travel to mercury?
Answers
Answered by
PsyDAG
Other than what?
Answered by
Ken
Going to an area near the sun presents many unique challenges:
Extreme radiation, especially X and Gama, but also heating and cooling of the craft as it rotates in transit, and gets baked and frozen on the surface.
The nearness of the sun, (a very strong gravity well), one wrong move and you get sucked in.
No atmosphere to slow down with, (parachutes don't work).
Finding a landing site that won't destroy the craft,(Mercury is ROUGH)
Taking samples of what is basically a lump of metal, you will need really robust equipment. Robust equipment weighs a lot. Launching heavier equipment means using more fuel and, a bigger mass to land with, so the landing gear will be heavier too, so even more fuel is needed.
Extreme radiation, especially X and Gama, but also heating and cooling of the craft as it rotates in transit, and gets baked and frozen on the surface.
The nearness of the sun, (a very strong gravity well), one wrong move and you get sucked in.
No atmosphere to slow down with, (parachutes don't work).
Finding a landing site that won't destroy the craft,(Mercury is ROUGH)
Taking samples of what is basically a lump of metal, you will need really robust equipment. Robust equipment weighs a lot. Launching heavier equipment means using more fuel and, a bigger mass to land with, so the landing gear will be heavier too, so even more fuel is needed.
Answered by
Sonya
Hi 🙋♀️ this is a great 😊 and I love ❤️ science 🧪
Answered by
giana
what other challenges would there be for engineers designing a spacecraft to travel to mercury
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