Published on StarDate Online (https://legacy.stardate.org)

Home > The End

The End [1]

The Messenger spacecraft snapped this final image of Mercury on April 30, not long before it slammed into the planet's surface, ending four years of orbital operations. It is the craft's most detailed image yet, showing features as small as 10 meters (33 feet) across. Messenger's mission ended because the craft had exhausted its fuel supply, leaving it unable to raise its altitude. Messenger orbited Mercury more than 4,100 times. [NASA/JHUAPL/Carnegie Institution of Washington]

The Messenger spacecraft's final image of the surface of Mercury
  • Grades 6-8 (Ages 11-13) [2]
  • Science [3]
  • About StarDate
  • Underwriting
  • SkyTips Sign-Up
  • Change mailing address
  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright and Usage
  • Contact

StarDate is brought to you in part through the generous support of our underwriters.
Interested in underwriting? Let us know

 

FacebookTwitterYouTube

©2022 The University of Texas McDonald Observatory


Source URL:https://legacy.stardate.org/astro-guide/gallery/end

Links
[1] https://legacy.stardate.org/astro-guide/gallery/end [2] https://legacy.stardate.org/grade-level/grades-6-8-ages-11-13 [3] https://legacy.stardate.org/subject-areas/science