-
Press Release
Apr 26, 2012Dr. Seuss, Alvin Ailey among the Names Selected for 23 Mercury Craters
The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recently approved a proposal from the MESSENGER Science Team to assign 23 new names to impact craters on Mercury. -
Press Release
Apr 25, 2012Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab Names 2011 Best Inventions
An ultra-compact motor controller used to revolutionize movement in a state-of-the-art prosthetic arm and an innovative algorithm for improving the performance of undersea sensors are the winners of The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory’s Invention of the Year and Government Purpose Innovation awards for 2011. -
Press Release
Apr 20, 2012MESSENGER Settles into Eight-Hour Orbit Around Mercury, Poised for New Discoveries
MESSENGER mission controllers at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md., conducted the second of two maneuvers required to reduce the spacecraft's orbital period about Mercury. -
Press Release
Apr 19, 2012APL-Developed Prosthetic Limb System Featured on the Cover of Popular Mechanics
The Modular Prosthetic Limb, developed by The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Md., is featured on the cover of the May issue of Popular Mechanics, available on newsstands now. -
Press Release
Apr 16, 2012MESSENGER Adjusts Orbit for a Closer Look at Mercury
The MESSENGER mission successfully completed the first of two maneuvers designed to reduce the spacecraft's orbital period about Mercury. -
Press Release
Apr 5, 2012MESSENGER Images Debut on “The Big Bang Theory”
Tonight, images from MESSENGER's Mercury Dual Imaging System will make their debut on the CBS sitcom, "The Big Bang Theory." -
Press Release
Mar 23, 2012MESSENGER App Now Available
The MESSENGER team has launched a free app that brings you inside NASA's history-making study of Mercury - the first images of the entire planet, along with the detailed data on Mercury's surface, geologic history, thin atmosphere, and active magnetosphere that MESSENGER sends back every day. -
Press Release
Mar 23, 2012Happy Birthday Titan!
On March 25, 1655, Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens, using a telescope he built himself, observed a small bright dot suspiciously close to the planet Saturn. Huygens correctly surmised that it might be a moon of that planet, and confirmed as much by following it in its orbit over the next few days. -
Press Release
Mar 21, 2012MESSENGER Provides New Look at Mercury’s Landscape, Metallic Core, and Polar Shadows
MESSENGER completed its one-year primary mission on March 17. Since moving into orbit about Mercury a little over one year ago, the spacecraft has captured nearly 100,000 images and returned data that have revealed new information about the planet, including its topography, the structure of its core, and areas of permanent shadow at the poles that host the mysterious polar deposits. -
Press Release
Mar 19, 2012MESSENGER Completes Primary Mission at Mercury, Settles in for Another Year
On March 17, 2012, MESSENGER successfully wrapped up a year-long campaign to perform the first complete reconnaissance of the geochemistry, geophysics, geologic history, atmosphere, magnetosphere, and plasma environment of the solar system's innermost planet.