KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A glow appears beneath the Boeing Delta II rocket as it begins liftoff with its payload, the MESSENGER spacecraft, on top. Liftoff occurred on time at 2:15:56 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) is on a seven-year, 4.9-billion-mile journey to the planet Mercury. The spacecraft will fly by Earth, Venus and Mercury several times, as well as circling the sun 15 times, to burn off energy before making its final approach to the inner planet on March 18, 2011. MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. KSC-04pd1631
Summary
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. - A glow appears beneath the Boeing Delta II rocket as it begins liftoff with its payload, the MESSENGER spacecraft, on top. Liftoff occurred on time at 2:15:56 a.m. EDT from Launch Pad 17-B, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. MESSENGER (Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging) is on a seven-year, 4.9-billion-mile journey to the planet Mercury. The spacecraft will fly by Earth, Venus and Mercury several times, as well as circling the sun 15 times, to burn off energy before making its final approach to the inner planet on March 18, 2011. MESSENGER was built for NASA by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md.
- LSP Launch History - NASA
- MESSENGER Mission To Mercury - Spaceopedia
- MESSENGER > Explore > Graphics
- Photo: NASA SENDS SPACE PROBE TO MERCURY - UPI
- NASA spacecraft to visit Mercury - UPI.com
- MESSENGER at Mercury: Scientific Highlights and End of Mission
- Messenger Space Probe - Lebenshilfswerk Waren
- Messenger Space Probe - MEETHK.com
- Messenger Space Probe - ar.inspiredpencil.com
- Nasa Announcement Agency To Discuss New Mercury Data From
Tags
messenger mercury elv
kennedy space center
glow
delta
rocket
delta ii rocket
liftoff
payload
messenger
spacecraft
messenger spacecraft
launch pad
station
cape canaveral air force station
mercury
surface
mercury surface
environment
space environment
geochemistry
planet
planet mercury
earth
venus
sun
energy
johns
hopkins
university
johns hopkins university
laboratory
physics laboratory
laurel
air force
cape canaveral
mercury project
high resolution
rocket technology
rocket engines
rocket launch
space launch complex
nasa
Date
03/08/2004
Location
Source
NASA
Link
Copyright info
Public Domain Dedication (CC0)