Missions to Mercury
Mission |
Country |
Launch Date |
Arrival Date |
Type |
Encounter
Characteristics |
MESSENGER
(MErcury Surface,
Space ENvironment,
GEochemistry, and Ranging) |
USA |
August 2004 |
March 2011 |
Flybys and Orbit |
Will study Mercury from orbit for one year |
|
USA |
November 3, 1973 |
March 29, 1974 |
Flyby |
10,000 images covering 57% of the planet
Currently in Solar Orbit |
An Overview of Space Exploration
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MESSENGER is a spacecraft that will study Mercury; the planet closest to the Sun. MESSENGER will blast off from Florida in early August 2004. The spacecraft will go into orbit around Mercury in March 2
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Some planets are tilted so their North and South Poles are not straight up and down. Earth is tilted a bit - about 23°. Uranus is tilted a lot - more than 90°. Mercury, on the other hand, is hardly tilted
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Mercury has almost no atmosphere. The planet's small size means that its gravity is too weak to hold down a normal atmosphere. There is a very thin atmosphere around the planet. Mercury's thin atmosphere
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