Planetary Society logo
  • “Exploration is in our nature.” - Carl Sagan

Imaging plans for MESSENGER's third Mercury flyby

Imaging plans for MESSENGER's third Mercury flyby
Imaging plans for MESSENGER's third Mercury flyby Top: On approach, MESSENGER will capture a view of a crescent Mercury, including a strip of longitude not before imaged by any mission. Middle: near closest approach, MESSENGER's spectrometer (MASCS) and the wide-angle camera will collaborate to acquire targeted observations of interesting targets. Bottom: As it departs, MESSENGER will gather a huge mosaic covering the southern hemisphere, complementing a northern-hemisphere view captured from a similar distance and lighting geometry during flyby 2. NASA / JHUAPL / CIW