Archived articles

Messenger

Artist stands in front of a poster of his artwork
Space exploration
New stamps commemorate APL space missions
Published June 13, 2016
'New Horizons' and MESSENGER missions celebrated in new postage sets
A black and white image of a crater in Mercury's surface, surrounded by dark marks at the rim of the crater.
Dark Planet
Why is Mercury so dark?
Published March 10, 2016
APL scientists believe carbon may explain planetary puzzle
Crash ending
Messenger goes out with a bang
Published May 1, 2015
Mission ends as spacecraft launched in 2004 crashes into Mercury's surface
Messenger spacecraft orbits Mercury
Crash course
Last days of Messenger
Published March 19, 2015
With end to historic mission in sight, spacecraft marks four years in Mercury orbit
Ice pics
First look at Mercury ice
Published Oct 16, 2014
NASA Messenger provides optical images of frozen materials permanently shadowed near planet's north pole