What are some of the Data Messenger will collect from Mercury?

What are some of the Data Messenger will collect from Mercury?

Measurements of the chemical composition of Mercury’s surface are providing important clues to the origin of the planet and its geological history. Maps of the planet’s topography and magnetic field are revealing new clues to Mercury’s interior dynamical processes.

What was seen on Mercury’s surface in the pictures taken by the Messenger probe?

Berlioz Crater on Mercury The top image shows a view of Berlioz crater, with the areas that contain radar-bright material marked in yellow and persistent shadows marked in red. The middle image, acquired a few hours later, shows details within the shadowed crater.

What did astronauts discover about Mercury using radar?

1965: Incorrectly believing for centuries that the same side of Mercury always faces the Sun, astronomers using radar find that the planet rotates three times for every two orbits. 1991: Scientists using Earth-based radar find signs of ice locked in permanently shadowed areas of craters in Mercury’s polar regions.

What happened MESSENGER probe?

A NASA spacecraft slammed into the surface of Mercury on Thursday (April 30), bringing a groundbreaking mission to a dramatic end. The MESSENGER probe crashed at 3:26 p.m. EDT (1926 GMT) Thursday, gouging a new crater into Mercury’s heavily pockmarked surface. “On behalf of MESSENGER, thank you all for your support.

What happened MESSENGER Mercury?

MESSENGER continued studying Mercury during its decay period. The spacecraft crashed onto the surface of Mercury on April 30, 2015, at 3:26 p.m. EDT (19:26 GMT), at a velocity of 14,080 km/h (8,750 mph), probably creating a crater in the planet’s surface approximately 16 m (52 ft) wide.

What happened messenger Mercury?

What was the Mariner 10 mission purpose to Mercury *?

The primary goal of the Mariner 10 was to study the atmosphere (if any), surface and physical characteristics of Mercury. Soon after leaving Earth orbit, the spacecraft returned striking photos of both Earth and the Moon as it sped to its first destination, Venus.

What was Mercury’s last mission?

As of 2015, the Mariner 10 and MESSENGER missions have been the only missions that have made close observations of Mercury.

What did the MESSENGER spacecraft discover about mercury?

NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft orbited Mercury for more than four years. Among its accomplishments, the mission determined Mercury’s surface composition, revealed its geological history, discovered details about its internal magnetic field, and verified its polar deposits are dominantly water-ice.

How big was the crater that MESSENGER made on Mercury?

When it crashed, MESSENGER likely gouged a new crater into Mercury’s heavily pockmarked surface. The 10-foot-wide (3 meters) spacecraft was traveling about 8,750 mph (14,080 km/h) at the time of impact, and it likely created a smoking hole in the ground about 52 feet (16 m) wide in Mercury’s northern terrain, NASA officials said.

What was the mass of the MESSENGER spacecraft?

What was MESSENGER? Nation United States of America (USA) Objective (s) Mercury Orbit Spacecraft MESSENGER Spacecraft Mass 2,443 pounds (1,107.9 kilograms) Mission Design and Management NASA / APL

Which is the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury?

MESSENGER 1 Key Dates 2 In Depth: MESSENGER. MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) was the seventh Discovery-class mission, and the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury. 3 Key Source. Siddiqi, Asif A. Beyond Earth: A Chronicle of Deep Space Exploration, 1958-2016. NASA History Program Office, 2018. 4 Resources