NASA Successfully Launches “Messenger” Spacecraft to Mercury
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has successfully launched a spacecraft named “Messenger” to Mercury, a scorching planet still shrouded in mystery for humanity.
Launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, this emissary from Earth is expected to journey for six and a half years, arriving at Mercury in March 2011 after a long trek of over 8 billion kilometers. This mission aims to help unravel the mysteries of Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun among the ten planets in our solar system.
Once in orbit around Mercury, the “Messenger” spacecraft will observe the planet from all angles and collect data over the course of one year under extreme temperature conditions. However, the scientific instruments aboard are designed to function as if they were on Earth, protected by curtains made from a special ceramic fiber just a quarter of an inch thick.
NASA scientists believe that the discoveries made by this spacecraft regarding the formation of Mercury will shed light on the origins of Venus, Mars, and Earth, despite the significant differences among these planets.
