MESSENGER Set for Venus Flyby

NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft is set for a historic Jan. 14 flight past Mercury that will explore some of the last major never-seen-before terrain in the inner solar system.

MESSENGER -- the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging spacecraft -- will use Mercury's gravity for a critical assist needed to keep the spacecraft on track for its orbit insertion around the planet three years from now. During this month's Mercury pass the probe's cameras and other sophisticated, high-technology instruments will take unprecedented images and make the first up-close measurements of the planet since Mariner 10's third and final flyby on March 16, 1975.

The first mission sent to orbit the planet closest to the sun, MESSENGER was launched on Aug. 3, 2004. After flybys of Earth, Venus, and Mercury, it will start a year-long orbital study of Mercury in March 2011.

NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EST on Thursday, Jan. 10, to preview the flyby. Audio will be streamed live at http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/me...ain/index.html