MESSENGER was a NASA robotic space probe that orbited the planet Mercury between 2011 and 2015, studying Mercury's chemical composition, geology, and magnetic field. The name is a backronym for "Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging", and a reference to the messenger god Mercury from Roman mythology.
Artist's rendering of MESSENGER orbiting Mercury
The assembly of MESSENGER's solar panels by APL technicians.
Technicians prepare MESSENGER for transfer to a hazardous processing facility.
Attachment of the PAM to MESSENGER. The ceramic-cloth sunshade is prominent in this view.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research. Established in 1958, it succeeded the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) to give the U.S. space development effort a distinct civilian orientation, emphasizing peaceful applications in space science. It has since led most of America's space exploration programs, including Project Mercury, Project Gemini, the 1968–1972 Apollo Moon landing missions, the Skylab space station, and the Space Shuttle. Currently, NASA supports the International Space Station along with the Commercial Crew Program, and oversees the development of the Orion spacecraft and the Space Launch System for the lunar Artemis program.
NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
A U.S. Air Force Bell X-1 test flight
Launch of the Army Ballistic Missile Agency's Explorer 1, America's first satellite
Launch of Friendship 7, NASA's first orbital flight, February 20, 1962