1

Messenger Mission

Student’s Name

Student Affiliation

Course
 2

MESSENGER Mission (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging),

was the very first space probe to orbit Mercury. Its principal aim was to investigate the planet's

geography, gravitational pull, and chemical properties. Few areas motivate the intellect like one

of Earth's nearest neighbors whenever it comes to areas where life on other planets might

possibly exist. For decades, humans have envisioned Mars as a residence for other beings.

Numerous missions to Mars have attempted to ascertain the likelihood of such a transformation

over the last fifty years. Of course, scientists are killing time by excavating through Messenger's

data and scheduling just what new assignment would then deliver. But they've also started to

contemplated what's quite certain for the solar system's tiniest planet — and to resurrect hopes of

ultimately landing a robot on its surface.

Mars has sent several travelers to Earth over the last four billion years. Our planet has

been swamped by rocks blasted from the substrate of Mars, one of the handful bodies in the solar

structure from which researchers have collected specimens. Bartels (2018) illustrates that, seeing

as NASA's Messenger mission concluded in 2015, Mercury has been without spaceship

acquaintances, although the next mission to the inner core planet debuts subsequently this year, it

won't show up till 2025. In overall, studying about Mercury would be impossible without the use

of equipment. Instruments would then explicitly snap photographs, quantify chemicals and

components, scan for magnetic areas, understand regarding geology, quantify gases in the

atmosphere, and evaluate energy and particulates in electromagnetic waves. According to Evans

(2021), the instruments include; “Mercury Dual Imaging System (MDIS), Gamma-Ray and

Neutron Spectrometer (GRNS), Magnetometer (MAG), Mercury Laser Altimeter (MLA),

Mercury Atmospheric and Surface Composition Spectrometer (MASCS), Energetic Particle and

Plasma Spectrometer (EPPS), X-Ray Spectrometer (XRS), and Radio Science (RS).” The
 3

objectives are to collect various data configurations, which are accomplished through the usages

and accomplishment of the equipment.

References
 4

Bartels, M. (2018, August 30). What would it take to land on mercury? It's time to find out,

scientists say. Space.com. https://www.space.com/41664-mercury-lander-mission-study-

proposal.html

Evans, B. (2021, March 18). Remembering Messenger’s mission to mercury, 10 years later.

Astronomy.com. https://astronomy.com/news/2021/03/remembering-messengers-

mission-to-mercury-10-years-later