The Art Neuro Weblog

Rocket Launch To Mercury
In more exciting and concrete news than speculation and arguments about lifeforms on Mars, the Delta 2 carrying the Messenger craft to Mercury was launched today.

"A voyage of mythological proportions," a NASA flight controller announced as soon as Messenger shed its final rocket stage hours before dawn.

The journey will take 6 1/2 years, covering nearly 5 billion miles on a roundabout ramble through the inner solar system. The probe should reach Mercury by March 2011, then spend a year gathering data.

Scientists want to know how the planet turned out the way it did, and whether the perpetually dark craters at the poles hold ice. Anything scientists can learn about how Mercury formed will shed light on the origins of Venus, Earth and Mars, each one very different.

Tuesday's launch came one day later than planned; Monday's attempt had to be scrubbed because of bad weather.

And there she goes. An overdue visit to a planet we have not seen up close in nearly a generation.

- Art Neuro