Mercury and the MESSENGER Mission

Steven Hauck

Case Western Reserve University

Launched in August of 2004, NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft spent the following six-and-ahalf years cruising the inner solar system in preparation for becoming the first spacecraft to orbit the planet Mercury. Following a flyby of Earth, two flybys of Venus, and three flybys of Mercury, MESSENGER entered Mercury orbit in March 2011 and embarked on a mission to map the innermost planet. After two and one half years of exploration of Mercury scientists are uncovering a wealth of knowledge about this enigmatic planet. We will discuss the discovery of surprisingly recent volcanism, the larger than expected shifting of the planet’s crust, its equally enigmatic interior and magnetic field, and how the breadth of what we are learning tells us about how planets form and operate.