students at the
> University of Washington in Seattle.
>
> I am retired and a geographer by degrees and training. I specialized
> in photogeology and taught it along with other geographic systems. I
> live near and spend most evenings at the U. of WA in their science
> libraries.

Ah, a fellow wanderer in the stacks (bookrooms). Say,
what is "Jason Perry"'s background, if he doesn't mind
stating it. Mine is computer science, and I am currently
in the publishing field.

As long as I am allowed to post, I will spend years
developing this site. I, too, care about Mercury. In
specifics, the probability of ice and other interesting facets
like that a thick enough layer of dust is believed to exist
(temperature drops rapidly immediately after sunset, so
the current model suggests a cm. or so of the stuff just
like that existing on the moon).

My orientation is both "more functional" and set far into the future than
both of you founders are into. That is
why the probes are interesting but fairly unimportant to
me. It would be interesting to know if some geothermal
heat emissions take place on a much greater scale than
the moon -- near the Moscow "sea" there was a large
hotspot mapped I recall. (I would guess that Mercury
does as it is a good deal larger, falling in the midpoint
between the Moon and Mars in volume and much closer
to Mars in mass. ) But still the facts would mostly be
irrelevant.

(I'm a bit prickly, but I do so for getting out information. I invite
people to do the same with me as debate, if civil,
normally sheds light on issues.)

No, on the face of it Mercury deserves to be fairly well
ignored. And yet there are some key properties in a
project I have been working upon for the last 20 years
or so that would make very good use of those supposed
negative qualities (no rotation/6.77 x Terran insolation I
recall off hand, etc.).

In the off chance that I am correct, a very important
step of mankind (in the not so near future) would be very
well advised to use this idea. for best results.

Sorry to be so mysterious, as it is a sign of some kind
of pseudo science or similar ilk. And yet regardless of
that possibility (and I have been contacted by bonfide
scientists before in relation to this idea, and have been
given some degree of incouragement beyond that
merely of being polite by a few of them), I do know
a good deal of some archane aspects of Mercury that
are interesting to the layman. I try to go well beyond the
obvious.

Ah, a tidbit example? Uhmm, how about the old one
of the sun going backwards in its motion across the
Mercuty sky (in some locations I recall)? Personally,
that one bores me, perferring instead the idea of a sun
that grows and gets smaller over the weeks. At its
solar maximum (perihelion), it is about 2.5 times the
width of the Earth sun/or moon for that matter. The
sight would be very interesting on either pole, as our
eyes make an optical illusion of a larger disk then.

By the way, did you know that someone is finally going
to make a major SF story about Mercury? Her name is
Laura (?) Dunn and she has been a nebula winner I think. I contacted her
while she was writing it but was informed
that the story will mostly be about human interaction
(set as a prison colony with a jail mutiny). It is online
in its basics. If asked I'll look the URL up to post.

-- "David"


>
> My knowledge of Mercury is weak currently except in the very
> technical area involving the nano project. Please one and all, send
> along ideas and links.

I just wish my old information on Mercury was on hand.
It might still be in my damaged computer, but if not
it will have to come in spurts of reaccessing information.



> And...the egroup is PUBLIC and we have visitors fr Europe who are not
> members. So, our numbers are not as small as it might seem.

Who are the visitors?


Hang in
> here David and all others and let us make something of the egroup for
> whatever end!



Well, I have my ulterior motives and ambitions. What
I like about this group is it is so new and out of the way
that those ideals have a chance to take root. The archive
system seems good, but I will repeat the question of my
earlier query. "Are the archives supposedly permanent?"

Or perhaps I should contact Yahoo personally.