NASA’s Mercury Messenger Probe to Crash Today
Launched in 2004, NASA’s Messenger space probe has been studying Mercury since it arrived in the planet’s orbit on March 18, 2011. Although a healthy and thriving spacecraft, Messenger (an acronym for MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) has run out of fuel and is expected to crash into Mercury this afternoon (Thursday).
Although amateur astronomers will not be able to see the crash since it will occur on the side of Mercury facing away from Earth, Messenger will hit the planet’s surface at 8,750 mph (3.91 kilometers per second). Some of Messenger’s greatest successes include the full imaging of the planet (as shown above) and the data indicating that ice is in Mercury’s poles regions.
The team is currently its final goodbyes on Messenger’s Twitter account.