This image from NASA MESSENGER is one of many from the latest vulcanoid search are currently being transmitted to Earth. Vulcanoids are small rocky bodies that have been postulated to exist but not yet been detected.
A View of Venus while Searching for Vulcanoids
In mid-February, before and after MESSENGER latest perihelion closest approach to the Sun, an imaging campaign was conducted to search for vulcanoids, small rocky bodies that have been postulated to exist in orbits between Mercury and the Sun.
Searching for Vulcanoids
The Southwest Research Institute's SWUIS-A digital imaging system was installed on the instrument panel of a NASA Dryden F/A-18B for a series of astronomy flights.
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Southwest Research Institute astronomer Dan Durda checks the alignment of the SWUIS-A Xybion digital camera mounted in the rear cockpit of a NASA Dryden F/A-18B before taking off on an astronomy mission.
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