OK, so they photographed Mercury.

[Dave in Wales]

WHY ?

How can that ever benefit us on Earth.

So they can reserve a space for their sun loungers I suppose

XX% of the population still have been jabbed yet.

[MJ224]

Understand and knowledge. A commendable trait in humanity, (and it does need some), otherwise it would still be stone throwing..............:-??

[Ian]

The aim is to slow down after several more fly-bys and then orbit Mercury to start surveying it in, iirc December 2025.

If you're going past that close (125 miles) and there's plenty of light why not take a few snaps?

Whenever I hear people ask why scientists do this or that? - I say, look at many everyday things you use today; many of those wouldn't have happened without aerospace breakthroughs.

Ultimately, scientists want to know how the universe ticks. The more we work at that, the more spin-off benefits we benefit from. Awe-inspiring and beautiful photographs are a nice bonus.

Ian

[Dave in Wales]

The aim is to slow down after several more fly-bys and then orbit Mercury to start surveying it in, iirc December 2025.

If you're going past that close (125 miles) and there's plenty of light why not take a few snaps?

Whenever I hear people ask why scientists do this or that? - I say, look at many everyday things you use today; many of those wouldn't have happened without aerospace breakthroughs.

Ultimately, scientists want to know how the universe ticks. The more we work at that, the more spin-off benefits we benefit from. Awe-inspiring and beautiful photographs are a nice bonus.

Ian

Tell that to the third world countries still waiting for CV19 jabs to fall from the rich west's table.

[Ian]

The amount spent on the space industry is way less than 1% of the world economy. Wealthier nations of the world could up spending on the alleviation of global poverty quite easily. But there always seem to be convenient reasons why it's not done adequately. Spending on space projects is not one of them.

[Graham_of_Rainham]

From the very beginning of mankind there have always been the haves and the have nots…. Those that have want more and knowledge is power, so the haves strive to gain more of everything….

The utopian state of equality for all cannot, and will not happen, simply because of the vast difference between people. Olympians get to the top, while couch potatoes are content to languish at the bottom. The disparities exist for very clear reasons and despite the efforts of groups to even things out, little has changed for centuries. If anything we are heading back into the extreme divisions of the Faroese, Emperors etc., etc., etc..

As for taking pictures of other worlds, it’s a great deal more value, than many of vanity projects of the BoJo…