----- Original Message -----
From: "pop.ficnet.net" <semloh@...>
To: <planetmercurysociety@...>
Sent: Sunday, November 12, 2000 11:03 AM
Subject: Re: [planetmercurysociety] Note for David and all


> 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.

I am actually a high school student who hope to go to the University
of Arizona in the Fall of 2002. Most of my interests deal with the
outer solar system which is why I most provide links to other sites
with information on Mercury. I guess you can say my background is
planetary science since that is what I plan to major in (though I
don't think University of Arizona has that as a major so I will
probably major in Geophysics). The reason I am hoping to go to the
University of Arizona is because I will be working there next summer
with Dr. McEwen and his team, analyzing images sent back from Galileo
of Io (notice that my website is all about Io :)
>
> 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).

The most interesting thing to me any way is that such an interesting
world could be neglected like it has. With all of it varied land
forms, from craters and impact basins, to compressional faults, to
lava plains, and possibly a shield volcano or two (though these places
might also be bright craters), I think it should get more attention.
And in a decade we will have 3-5 missions to Mercury (though I think
Japan cancelled theirs so they can work with the ESA on BepiColumbo.

In speaking of BepiColumbo, check out an ESA fact sheet on this
particular mission at
http://esapub.esrin.esa.it/bulletin/bullet103/grard103.pdf .

>
> 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.

Well, Mercury may have a good sized shield volcano in its northern,
unimaged hemisphere as well as several Copernican craters.
>
>
> 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?"
>

Yes they are permanent. However, the owner of the list can delete
messages at his discretion.

Jason Perry
volcanopele@...
http://members.fortunecity.com/volcanopele/