COLLECTION NAME:
NASA Kennedy Center Media Archive Collection
Record
Description:
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - Workers at Astrotech Space Operations facilities in Titusville, Fla., finish encapsulating the MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) spacecraft for a move from its current location in the hazardous processing facility, where it has been since arrival March 10, to an adjacent nonhazardous payload processing facility. The remainder of its final assembly and testing will be completed there. The spacecraft will return to the hazardous processing facility when ready for fueling, spin balance testing and mating to the upper stage. MESSENGER is scheduled to launch no earlier than July 30 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. MESSENGER is a scientific investigation of the planet Mercury, the least explored terrestrial planet. Understanding Mercury and how it was formed is essential to understanding the other terrestrial planets and their evolution. The MESSENGER mission will orbit Mercury after making two flybys of the planet, using data collected during the flybys as an initial guide to perform a more focused scientific investigation of this mysterious world. The spacecraft will enter Mercury orbit in March 2011 and carry out comprehensive measurements for one full Earth year.
Release Date:
04/13/2004
Photo Credit:
NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Release:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration John F. Kennedy Space Center Kennedy Space Center, Florida 32899
facet_what:
Earth
facet_where:
Florida
facet_when:
04-13-2004
facet_when_year:
2004
Photo Number:
KSC-04PD-0857
UID:
SPD-KSCMA-KSC-04PD-0857
Link To Source
