BALTIMORE — A NASA spacecraft will fly by Mercury today, the first visit to the sun’s closest neighbor since the 1970s.
Messenger, which began its journey in 2004, will skim 124 miles above the planet’s surface, the first of three passes before it settles into orbit three years from now. The flyby will provide up-close views and, in a few weeks, pictures.
“We’re expecting some pretty major surprises out of this,” said Faith Vilas, a Messenger scientist and director of the MMT Observatory at Mt. Hopkins, Ariz.
Scientists are hoping that what they learn will help answer lingering questions about the planet’s origin, magnetic field and atmosphere, and what that means about our own planet. NASA plans to release images and results from the flyby Jan. 30.
The Associated Press
