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  2. MESSENGER - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MESSENGER

    MESSENGER was a NASA robotic space probe that orbited the planet Mercury between 2011 and 2015, studying Mercury's chemical composition, geology, and magnetic field. [ 9 ][ 10 ] The name is a backronym for "Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging", and a reference to the messenger god Mercury from Roman mythology.

  3. Mercury (planet) - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury_(planet)

    Contents. Mercury (planet) Surface temp. Mercury is the first planet from the Sun and the smallest in the Solar System. In English, it is named after the ancient Roman god Mercurius (Mercury), god of commerce and communication, and the messenger of the gods. Mercury is classified as a terrestrial planet, with roughly the same surface gravity as ...

  4. Exploration of Mercury - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploration_of_Mercury

    The first probe to visit Mercury was Mariner 10. View of Mercury from Mariner 10 in March 1975. The exploration of Mercury has a minor role in the space interests of the world. It is the least explored inner planet. [1] As of 2015, the Mariner 10 and MESSENGER missions have been the only missions that have made close observations of Mercury.

  5. Orbit - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbit

    An animation showing a low eccentricity orbit (near-circle, in red), and a high eccentricity orbit (ellipse, in purple). In celestial mechanics, an orbit (also known as orbital revolution) is the curved trajectory of an object [1] such as the trajectory of a planet around a star, or of a natural satellite around a planet, or of an artificial satellite around an object or position in space such ...

  6. BepiColombo - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BepiColombo

    BepiColombo. BepiColombo is a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to the planet Mercury. [4] The mission comprises two satellites launched together: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and Mio (Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, MMO). [5] The mission will perform a comprehensive study ...

  7. Iridium satellite constellation - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iridium_satellite...

    The Iridium system was designed to be accessed by small handheld phones, the size of a cell phone. While "the weight of a typical cell phone in the early 1990s was 10.5 ounces" [6] (300 grams) Advertising Age wrote in mid 1999 that "when its phone debuted, weighing 1 pound (453 grams) and costing $3,000, it was viewed as both unwieldly and expensive."

  8. Mercury-Atlas 6 - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercury-Atlas_6

    Mercury-Atlas 6 (MA-6) was the first crewed American orbital spaceflight, which took place on February 20, 1962. [4] Piloted by astronaut John Glenn and operated by NASA as part of Project Mercury, it was the fifth human spaceflight, preceded by Soviet orbital flights Vostok 1 and 2 and American sub-orbital flights Mercury-Redstone 3 and 4.

  9. Orbit insertion - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orbit_insertion

    In spaceflight an orbit insertion is an orbital maneuver which adjusts a spacecraft ’s trajectory, allowing entry into an orbit around a planet, moon, or other celestial body. [1] An orbit insertion maneuver involves either deceleration from a speed in excess of the respective body’s escape velocity, or acceleration to it from a lower speed.