NASA Messenger Probe Orbits Mercury

Another one of those stories I find fascinating. I had pretty much forgotten about this one, until this week when it hit the news, sort of like Libya, overshadowing the tragedy in Japan.  Remember Japan?

NASA’s Messenger probe made history on the night of March 17, 2011, when it became the first spacecraft to successfully enter into Mercury’s orbit. Now, for the first time in history, Mercury has an artificial satellite. The spacecraft has been sent to study the closest planet to the sun in the hopes of studying the planet’s composition and magnetic environment. The Messenger will spend one Earth year studying Mercury and is a part of the first mission to study Mercury since the Mariner mission more than thirty years ago.
The Messenger spacecraft, which stands for Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging, was launched in August 2004 at a cost of $446 million. Here are some facts about the spacecraft currently studying Mercury:

• Since its launch 6 ½ years ago, the Messenger has traveled approximately 4.9 billion miles and has completed 15 orbits of the sun
• Messenger’s average speed is 84,500 mph and has broken the record for all-time fastest spacecraft at a pace of 140,000 mph
• The aircraft weights 2,420 pounds but is only 4.7 feet tall by 6.1 feet wide by 4.2 feet deep. Two solar panel “wings” measuring 5 by 5.5 feet are on either side of the probe.

Mercury has long remained a mystery to scientists. Until the Messenger flew by Mercury for the first time in 2008, only half of the planet had ever been seen. Scientists were finally able to see close-up pictures of the other half of Mercury’s surface. Here are some more facts about the planet Messenger has been sent to study:

• Mercury is 35,980,000 million miles from the sun
• Mercury’s year lasts for 88 days
• The average daytime temperature is 800 degrees Fahrenheit, while the average nighttime temperature is -300 degrees Fahrenheit
• The planet is named after Mercury, the Roman messenger of the gods

More HERE.

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