MERCURY
Edgardo
A.
Imagine for a
second we are in the year 2112 and civilian planetary space travel is an
everyday event. Take a look at what a travel brochure might look like for your
favorite planet.
| Mercury | Venus | Mars | Jupiter | Saturn | Uranus |
| Neptune | Pluto | Back Home |
If you love geology you'll love
Mercury. In fact we think that after seeing Mercury you'll never return to the
Grand Canyon again. Mercury has a heavily cratered surface that closely
resembles the earth's moon. Mercury also has huge cliffs crisscrossing the
planet, as high as 3 kilometers (1.2 miles) and as long as 500 kilometers (310
miles). And with all that, if you like variety Mercury, has the most extreme
temperatures variations in the Solar System - from 90 K to 700 K. We are the
only planet with those kinds of extreme temperature changes.
Do you like to party all day? One mercurial
solar day takes 176 Earth's days, or 2 whole mercurial years. Mercury is the
planet for hot bodies Mercury is the closest to the Sun and the eight largest,
so you won't have to pack many clothes. We have built one of the biggest museum
of the entire Solar System, so you can spend one whole day looking at the types
of rocks that you see no where else. (Our rocks have the highest metal
concentration of any planet.)
An
analysis of the Mariner Probe data provided some preliminary evidence of recent
volcanism on Mercury, so you and your family should come prepared with cameras
to take pictures, of the beautiful color of the lava. If you think that all
this family stuff is not for you, you must see our skiing area, which will not
be open until December because amazingly meteor rains.
The
planet Mercury is extreme and dangerous. The extreme temperatures are probably
one of the most dangerous aspects of the planet. No problem though, we have
special rooms and special transportation that has normal and safe temperatures.
Since Mercury has no atmosphere we are vulnerable to meteors. But we know if
anything is going to hit us 5 years before it comes close, so we just destroy
it with atomic weapons. Another danger will be the solar wind, that affects the
people's skin, but, as always, we have invented a solution. We have a solar
wind protection lotion that is 50 times better anything you've ever used.
Basic Facts
Mercury
is the closest planet to the Sun. One rotation takes 59 Earth days (that is one
day). This planet takes 88 Earth days to move around the Sun, and with all that
Mercury has almost no atmosphere and no known satellite. Like most of the
planets Mercury has a heavily cratered terrain, also has regions of relatively
smooth plains. Finally Mercury is only one third of the size of the Earth and
40% larger than earth's Moon.