NASA's : "messenger" crashed on Mercury

Only with the images of the "messenger" could the US space agency the entire mercury mapping. The probe is now planned crashed: "We will miss you", twitterte Nasa. Of the Treasury retained - and will be further evaluated.

After more than ten years in space is the NASA probe "messenger" controlled plunged on the planet Mercury. The probe as planned on Thursday at:21,26 p.m. Central European Summer Time with a speed of about 14,000 kilometers per hour on the surface of the planet and had a large crashed into craters, according to the US space agency NASA and twitterte with: "We will miss you." The German Aerospace Center (DLR) paid tribute to the mission as "one of the most important for the Exploration of the Earth-like planets in our solar system".

Until about ten minutes before the impact with the Mercury, the temperature fluctuations of several hundred degrees Celsius and has a diameter of almost 5000 kilometers, has, scientists were still in contact to "Messenger". The researchers could live the crash but not, as he held on the roamed page. As you shortly after no more signal received, they confirmed the impact. "An end to Bang," commented Nasa-Manager John Grunsfeld.

The probe was launched in August 2004 and during its trip to the Merkur has more than 250,000 photos and large quantities of data collected can be evaluated. Because condition and fuel tank capacity allowed, was the mission had been extended twice - originally from the "messenger" had been expected only around 2500 images. The name of the probe is an abbreviation for "Mercury surface, Space environment, geochemistry and Ranging".

"Messenger" shooting revolutionize image of Mercury

The 500 kg spacecraft has been a pioneer for the Merkur-Forschung: before the mission was only about half of the known for more than 3000 years the planets of our solar system mapped at all. "Messenger" orbited mercury and photographed thousands of times its previously unknown.

The results of the mission the scientific community: the enthusiastic with a sign of special ceramic protected against heat probe with eight scientific instruments on board discovered unexpectedly strong volcanic activity, inter alia on the Mercury, an unusual iron deficiency in the surface and notes on water.

The "Messenger" -team also includes two Germans, especially to the evaluation of the photos. "This will enable accurate maps and a globe of the mercury will be created, but above all it is the geological history of the planet have very much better," said Jürgen Colonel. The image of the mercury was the "Messenger" -Mission almost has been revolutionised.

The next thing I want to do is probably in two years' time by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japanese JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) jointly operated space probe "BepiColombo mission to Mercury Research breaking and from 2024 the "messenger" continue.