Unzip this file into your extras directory, and it will create an
add-on consisting of the messenger.xyz
trajectory file, and an accompanying
messenger.ssc
- in the absence of a Messenger model, the Galileo model
distributed with Celestia is used as a substitute. The trajectory begins
at 2004 Aug 03 07:15, and ends at 2012 Mar 31 23:15
I've updated the MESSENGER trajectory from Horizons: it gives correct timings for the planetary flybys, and a year's worth of the orbital phase. The new file is 421KB, because of the sustained higher sampling rate required for the Mercury orbital phase.
Grant Hutchison, January, 2008
Messenger's Heliocentric Trajectory. (2004 orbital parameters)
This Web page is maintained by Selden Ball
at Wilson Lab.
Please send any comments or corrections to
seb@lepp.cornell.edu