Mercury MESSENGER mission launch in 2004
A NASA mission that began in 2004, has found water in an unlikely place.
The Mercury MESSENGER mission launched in 2004 and arrived in orbit around Mercury in 2011. The spacecraft has been orbiting the planet ever since collecting data.
The spacecraft has provided data that proves there is frozen ice in portions of craters that receive no sunlight at the poles of the planet. The principle investigator for the mission, Dr. Sean Solomon says MESSENGER has collected over 100,000 pictures.
MESSENGER has collected three types of evidence of frozen water; neutron flux measurements, reflective readings, and temperature readings.
MESSENGER will remain in orbit around Mercury collecting data through 2013.
