The first spacecraft to orbit Mercury, the closest planet to our Sun, will run out of fuel and crash on its surface Thursday, ending its 11-year mission.
The half-ton orbiter known by its acronym MESSENGER was launched in August 2004 on a mission to study Mercury’s chemical composition, geology and magnetic field.
MESSENGER spiraled through the inner solar system before reaching its destination. Inserting MESSENGER into orbit proved to be a challenging task, due to the sun’s gravity, intense heat and effects of solar radiation pressure.
WATCH: NASA video MESSENGER flies over Mercury
Among other scientific data, MESSENGER discovered the presence of frozen water in deep craters sitting in permanent shadow, as well as a mysterious dark material that could consist of organic compounds.
During its last month in orbit, MESSENGER sent back to NASA the best high-resolution images so far of Mercury’s desolate, moonlike surface. [Read More]
—–
Source: VOA News: Human Rights and Law
Comments are closed. Please check back later.