First ever close-up pictures of the planet Mercury. Photos taken by NASA’s Messenger spacecraft — the first vehicle to orbit the planet closest to the sun.
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The photos include the first color close-ups of the planet. There have been “fly by” missions of the tiny planet. But this is the first long-term, planet-orbiting mission. The goal is to examine the geology, atmosphere, and magnetosphere during the craft’s year-long mission. The vehicle was launched nearly seven years ago, on August 3, 2004. For more details on this intriguing mission, and a great close-up photo, visit http://bit.ly/gUDTQz