Gliding over the battered surface of Mercury for the second time, NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft has revealed more previously unseen real estate on the innermost planet, sending home hundreds of photos and measurements of its surface, atmosphere, and magnetic field. The probe flew by Mercury shortly after 4:40 a.m. EDT on October 6, 2008, completing a critical gravity assist to keep it on course to orbit Mercury in 2011 and unveiling 30 percent of Mercury’s surface never before seen by spacecraft. (source: ciw.edu)
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