Calculate the period of the Messenger orbit.

1. What is the eccentricity of the Messenger’s orbit about Mercury? 2. From the characteristics and properties of the orbit, some of which are given in Prob. 8.17, it is not possible to extract the mass of the Messenger spacecraft. Why? Prob. 8.17 The next five problems are based on the Messenger spacecraft launched from Earth on August 3, 2002. After gravity-assist maneuvers around the earth, Venus, and Mercury, Messenger is scheduled (at the time of this writing) to go into orbit around Mercury on March 18,2011. The radius and mass of Mercury are 2,440 Jan and 3.3 x 1()23 kg, respectively. The orbit is designed to be highly elliptical, with the altitude of closest approach () of200 Jan, and the altitude of farthest distance (apoapsis) of 15,193 Jan. Calculate the period of the Messenger orbit. Ignore the influence of the gravitational attraction of the sun on the spacecraft orbit.

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