Messenger fell on Mercury

The automatic interplanetary station "Messenger" fell to the surface of Mercury, completing a mission that lasted more than 10 years. The device crashed into the planet at a speed of 3.91 kilometers per second. According to NASA calculations, as a result of the collision on the surface of Mercury, a new crater with a diameter of 16 meters was formed.

"Messenger" fell on the opposite side of Mercury from the Earth - it was impossible to observe the moment of the collision. In the last minutes of the mission, communication with the apparatus ceased.

• Messenger launched to Mercury in 2004. Six and a half years later, it reached its orbit. It was originally planned that the station would operate in orbit for about a year, but this period was extended three times.
• The main result of the mission - "Messenger" found water on Mercury. After studying the photographs transmitted by the station, NASA scientists came to the conclusion that there is ice in the craters at the planet's north pole.
• See also: Long-lived probe "Messenger" is about to crash on Mercury: N + 1