Viewing more of Mercury

NASA’s Messenger spacecraft flew close by Mercury on 14 January 2008. Of course, it was taking pictures and managed to give scientists views of areas of the planet not imaged when Mariner 10 flew by in 1974 and 1975. Check out this detailed image of a pockmarked Mercury. This page has links to more pictures. The flyby is described here.

This was the Messenger spacecraft’s first of three 200km high fly-bys of Mercury. The next will be October 6, 2008, and the third will be September 29, 2009. Each fly-by slows the spacecraft as it heads to orbiting Mercury in March 2011.