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› MESSENGER Mercury Orbit Insertion Press Kit
(March 2011)


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Latest News, Features and Photos

Mercury South Pole

Mercury's Surprising Core and Landscape Curiosities

MESSENGER reveals new information about Mercury’s topography, the structure of its core, and mysterious polar deposits.

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Craters on Mercury's surface

NASA Extends MESSENGER Mission

NASA has announced that it will extend the MESSENGER mission.

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Orthographic view of Mercury

Team Presents Mercury Findings at Planetary Conference

Scientists highlight the latest results from observations obtained during MESSENGER’s first six months in orbit.

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MESSENGER Sends Back New Orbital Observation Data

After only six months in orbit around Mercury, MESSENGER reveals flood lavas, hollows, and unprecedented surface details.

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MESSENGER Mission Updates

  • MESSENGER Measures Waves at the Boundary of Mercury's Magnetosphere  →

    05.22.12 - MESSENGER scientists have concluded that waves driven by the Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) instability play a key role in driving Mercury's magnetosphere. In a paper published recently in the Journal of Geophysical Research, the team reports on frequent detections of such waves at the outer edge of the innermost planet's magnetosphere.

  • MESSENGER Gains Deputy Principal Investigator  →

    05.08.12 - Larry Nittler, a staff scientist in the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism of the Carnegie Institution of Washington, has been named deputy principal investigator of the MESSENGER mission. MESSENGER Principal Investigator Sean Solomon, of CIW, delivered the announcement this morning at the first plenary of the 26th meeting of the MESSENGER Science Team meeting in Vancouver, B.C.

  • MESSENGER's Cameras Capture 100,000th Image from Mercury Orbit  →

    05.03.12 - This week, MESSENGER's Mercury Dual Imaging System delivered the 100,000th image of Mercury since the spacecraft entered into orbit around the planet on March 18, 2011. The instrument — one of seven aboard the spacecraft — has globally mapped the planet in high-resolution monochrome images and in color images through eight of its color filters, uncovering a new view of Mercury and shedding light on the planet's geologic history.

  • Dr. Seuss, Alvin Ailey among the Names Selected for 23 Mercury Craters  →

    04.26.12 - The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recently approved a proposal from the MESSENGER Science Team to assign 23 new names to impact craters on Mercury. The IAU has been the arbiter of planetary and satellite nomenclature since its inception in 1919. In keeping with the established naming theme for craters on Mercury, all of the newly designated features are named after famous deceased artists, musicians, or authors.

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New Mercury Images

Bluebeard's Castle

Image from Orbit of Mercury: Bluebeard's Castle
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The Hollowed Halls of Tyagaraja

Image from Orbit of Mercury: The Hollowed Halls of Tyagaraja
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The Land of Crater Chains

Image from Orbit of Mercury: The Land of Crater Chains
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