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MESSENGER was a NASA robotic space probe that orbited the planet Mercury between 2011 and 2015, studying Mercury's chemical composition, geology, and magnetic field. [9] [10] The name is a backronym for Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging, and a reference to the messenger god Mercury from Roman mythology.
The Solar System Family Portrait is an image of many of the Solar System's planets and moons acquired by MESSENGER during November 2010 from approximately the orbit of Mercury. The mosaic is intended to be complementary to the Voyager 1 ' s Family Portrait acquired from the outer edge of the Solar System on February 14, 1990.
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The exploration of Mercury has a minor role in the space interests of the world. It is the least explored inner planet. [1] As of 2015, the Mariner 10 and MESSENGER missions have been the only missions that have made close observations of Mercury. MESSENGER made three flybys before entering orbit around Mercury. [2]
Caloris Planitia / k ə ˈ l ɔːr ɪ s p l ə ˈ n ɪ ʃ (i) ə / is a plain within a large impact basin on Mercury, informally named Caloris, about 1,550 km (960 mi) in diameter. [1] It is one of the largest impact basins in the Solar System.
The MESSENGER spacecraft imaged the rest of the planet, much of it at higher resolution and in color, leading to the discovery of hollows and clues about their formation and nature. Other craters where hollows are present include Warhol , Xiao Zhao , Seuss , Wergeland , Raditladi , Sholem Aleichem , Lermontov , Darío , and Scarlatti .
Eastman is a crater on Mercury first seen by MESSENGER during the mission's first Mercury flyby. Eastman exhibits some features characteristic of a fresh, relatively young crater. The walls of Eastman have clearly visible terraces, and the central peak structure is well preserved.
Then it flew by Mercury three times, in January 2008, October 2008, [83] and September 2009, [84] [85] becoming the second mission to reach Mercury, after Mariner 10. MESSENGER entered orbit around Mercury on March 18, 2011, and it reactivated its science instruments on March 24, returning the first photo from Mercury orbit on March 29.