NASA's MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging (MESSENGER)spacecraft orbited Mercury for more than four years. Among its accomplishments, the mission determined Mercury’s surface composition, revealed its geological history, discovered details about its internal magnetic field, and verified its polar deposits are dominantly water-ice. The mission ended when MESSENGER slammed into Mercury’s surface.

Type

Research

Schedule

2004-2015

Status

Completed

Partners

The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Columbia University, Carnegie Institution of Washington,

PI

Sean C. Solomon (Columbia University)

Team

Kevin C. Hurley