Animations

This interactive 3D graph shows the trajectory of the s/c during some phases of the final part of the cruise in the mean Mercury equator and IAU vector of J2000 reference frame (BC_MME_IAU2009_J2000).
The popup label that appears when you hover the mouse over a point shows the UTC time, the distance from the center of Mercury (d), the inertial speed relative to Mercury (v) and the range rate (a negative value indicates that the s/c is approaching Mercury).

Select the phase: ÷

Zoom:

Animation

Speed
Step
Leading pts
Trailing pts
UTC:
Manual

Distance      :  km
Inertial speed:  m/s
Range rate    :  m/s

Please note that the points are saved with a variable time step, so the speed at which the s/c moves during the animation is not proportional to the actual speed.

To rotate the view during the animation, it is suggested to put the step to "PAUSE" (all the way to the left), rotate the view with the mouse and resume the animation.