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Business News/ Photos / Nasa’s spacecraft orbiting Mercury goes out with a bang

Nasa’s spacecraft orbiting Mercury goes out with a bang

11 Photos . Updated: 01 May 2015, 01:19 PM IST Livemint

Nasa's spacecraft Messenger, the only spacecraft to orbit Mercury, the closest planet to the sun, ended its four-year tour with a crash landing on Thursday after it ran out of fuel following a successful 11-year mission.

Mercury in one of the last images taken by the Messenger on 29 April. Messenger, launched in August 2004, set a record for planetary fly-bys — once past Earth, twice past Venus and three times past Mercury before entering Mercury’s orbit in 2011. AFP

1/11Mercury in one of the last images taken by the Messenger on 29 April. Messenger, launched in August 2004, set a record for planetary fly-bys — once past Earth, twice past Venus and three times past Mercury before entering Mercury’s orbit in 2011. AFP

Mercury during Messenger’s second fly-by of the planet. Messenger circled the solar system’s innermost planet 4,105 times and collected more than 277,000 images. It survived “both punishing heat and extreme doses of radiation” to surpass expectations. AP

2/11Mercury during Messenger’s second fly-by of the planet. Messenger circled the solar system’s innermost planet 4,105 times and collected more than 277,000 images. It survived “both punishing heat and extreme doses of radiation” to surpass expectations. AP

On 30 April, this region of Mercury’s surface will have a new crater! Traveling at 3.91 kilometers per second, Messenger will collide with Mercury’s surface, creating a crater estimated to be 16 meters (52 feet) in diameter. Pic: Nasa.gov

3/11On 30 April, this region of Mercury’s surface will have a new crater! Traveling at 3.91 kilometers per second, Messenger will collide with Mercury’s surface, creating a crater estimated to be 16 meters (52 feet) in diameter. Pic: Nasa.gov

At 5:20 am on 29 March, 2011, Messenger captured this historic first ever image of Mercury.

4/11At 5:20 am on 29 March, 2011, Messenger captured this historic first ever image of Mercury.

Mercury is the smallest, the densest, it has the oldest surface, the largest daily variations in surface temperature - and it’s the least explored planet. Until Messenger, the only spacecraft to visit Mercury was Nasa’s Mariner 10 back in the 1970s. That was only a fly-by mission. AP

5/11Mercury is the smallest, the densest, it has the oldest surface, the largest daily variations in surface temperature - and it’s the least explored planet. Until Messenger, the only spacecraft to visit Mercury was Nasa’s Mariner 10 back in the 1970s. That was only a fly-by mission. AP

This colorful scene of the Tyagaraja crater and its surroundings contains many different types of material. Pic: Nasa

6/11This colorful scene of the Tyagaraja crater and its surroundings contains many different types of material. Pic: Nasa

John Lennon, the Beatle star has a physical presence on the planet closest to the Sun. Mercury’s Lennon crater, named after John Lennon, as seen from Nasa’s Messenger spacecraft. Photo: Nasa/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics

7/11John Lennon, the Beatle star has a physical presence on the planet closest to the Sun. Mercury’s Lennon crater, named after John Lennon, as seen from Nasa’s Messenger spacecraft. Photo: Nasa/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics

A solar flare erupting on the far side of the sun in 2011, that sent solar neutrons into space. Solar neutrons don’t make it all the way to Earth, but Messenger found their strong evidence, offering a new technique to study giant explosions. Pic: Nasa/STEREO/Helioviewer

8/11A solar flare erupting on the far side of the sun in 2011, that sent solar neutrons into space. Solar neutrons don’t make it all the way to Earth, but Messenger found their strong evidence, offering a new technique to study giant explosions. Pic: Nasa/STEREO/Helioviewer

The Rembrandt impact basin discovered by Messenger during its second fly-by of Mercury. AP

9/11The Rembrandt impact basin discovered by Messenger during its second fly-by of Mercury. AP

Previously unseen terrain on Mercury as Messenger approached the planet. The mission achieved ‘unprecedented success’ with its top discovery being that Mercury had lots of frozen water and other volatile materials in its permanently shadowed polar craters.

10/11Previously unseen terrain on Mercury as Messenger approached the planet. The mission achieved ‘unprecedented success’ with its top discovery being that Mercury had lots of frozen water and other volatile materials in its permanently shadowed polar craters.

Flight controllers managed to keep Messenger going a few extra weeks on helium gas. But the gas tank finally emptied on Thursday, and the spacecraft succumbed to gravity, crashing on the side of Mercury facing away from the Earth and telescopes.

11/11Flight controllers managed to keep Messenger going a few extra weeks on helium gas. But the gas tank finally emptied on Thursday, and the spacecraft succumbed to gravity, crashing on the side of Mercury facing away from the Earth and telescopes.

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