Flying by the Earth (view original size)

The Mercury-bound MESSENGER spacecraft captured several stunning images of Earth during a gravity assist swingby of its home planet on Aug. 2, 2005. Several hundred images, taken with the wide-angle camera in MESSENGER's Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS), were sequenced into a movie documenting the view from MESSENGER as it departed Earth.

Comprising 358 frames taken over 24 hours, the movie follows Earth through one complete rotation. The spacecraft was 40,761 miles (65,598 kilometers) above South America when the camera started rolling on Aug. 2. It was 270,847 miles (435,885 kilometers) away from Earth - farther than the Moon's orbit - when it snapped the last image on Aug. 3.

source: John Hopkins University

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• earth
• fly-by
• mercury
• MESSENGER
• nasa
• space

[cipndale]

Does anyone know what happens at the end of the 11th second of this movie (the red flash)?

[DAlessimo]

It's not a fake-it's a time lapsed pictures of the Earth as Messenger flies away out of the orbit.

[wvhdogg]

fakez0r

[hrford]

The new YT video player doesn't have an origial size button! What can we do to bring it back? The videos run smoother and more sharp at original size, as you point out! Grrr...