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August 20, 2008 4:03:32 PM CDT

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Probe Zips Over Mercury Today

Posted Jan 14, 08 4:33 AM CST in Technology,  Science & Health 

(Newser) – NASA's Messenger spacecraft this afternoon will whiz past Mercury at 141,000 mph and snap an estimated 1,200 detailed photos of the planet's surface from a mere 124 miles up. It will be the first of three passes before the craft starts orbiting the planet closest to the sun in 2011. What scientists find could provide clues about how the Earth was formed.

Some astronomers speculate that Mercury may have formed elsewhere and was knocked into its current orbit by a collision. In a previous expedition, NASA obtained photos of about 45% of Mercury's surface, and the newest fly-by will begin to fill in the rest. Instruments will also collect data on what minerals and chemicals are present on the planet's surface, and measure the planet's gravitational and magnetic fields.

Source Christian Science Monitor

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An artist's illustration of Messenger, a scientific satellite leaving Earth on its way to orbit Mercury, the closest planet to the sun. Launch is scheduled for May.   (KRT Photos)
An artist rendition released by the European Space Agency on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2007 shows the main bodies of the solar system, the Sun, Mercury, Venus, the Earth, from left in foreground, Uranus, Neptune,...   (Associated Press)
NASA Launches "Messenger" Spacecraft To Mercury   (Getty Images)
Artist's concept of the Messenger flyby of Mercury.   (nasa.gov)
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NASA  • space  • research  • photographs  • planet  • sun  • Mercury  • Messenger


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