Jul 17
Mercury Meets MESSENGER
On August 3, 2004, the MESSENGER probe was successfully launched into space. Following three gravity-assist flybys (one of Earth, two of Venus, and three of Mercury), it entered an orbit around Mercury on March 18, 2011, and became the first spacecraft to orbit the tiny planet.
During its time in orbit, it achieved a complete mapping of Mercury's surface, examined the chemical composition of its surface, studied its magnetic field, and examined the nature of its exosphere.
After several mission extensions, MESSENGER ended its mission by crashing into Mercury's surface on April 30, 2015.
All of this means, of course, that Venus' attempts at swatting the probe with a giant space fly swatter were unsuccessful.
