Triple Play at Mercury

A Bright Spot on the Surface of Mercury (September 29, 2009)
Credit: NASA/Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory/Carnegie Institution of Washington

The MESSENGER spacecraft flew by the planet Mercury on Tuesday, the third of three flybys before the spacecraft enters orbit around the planet in 2011. Mercury is the Solar System's inner-most planet.

This afternoon a friend and I attended an event at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, the organization that built and is now controlling the pioneering spacecraft. We heard several of the leading mission participants present background on the science and exploration of Mercury and the MESSENGER mission along with the latest results (followed by a stop for barbecue and beer just outside the Lab). For continuing updates, check out the MESSENGER web site.