MAY 01, 2015

Touchdown! Mercury Messenger is History

WRITTEN BY: Brenda Kelley Kim
NASA is predicting that the Mercury Messenger spacecraft will hit the planet's surface near a ridge slightly to the northeast of what is known as the Shakespeare Impact Basin

The mission, begun in 2004, has come to an end, having provided unprecedented views of the planet nearest the sun. Watch the video below to see simulations of Messenger's flight and stunning images of the surface and atmosphere of Mercury.