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  <Version>2.4.1</Version>

  <Observatory>
    <ResourceID>spase://CNES/Observatory/CDPP-AMDA/MESSENGER</ResourceID>
    <ResourceHeader>
      <ResourceName>MESSENGER</ResourceName>
      <AlternateName>Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging Mission</AlternateName>
      <ReleaseDate>2017-02-09T21:20:38Z</ReleaseDate>
      <Description>The Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging (MESSENGER) mission, launched on 2004-08-03, was mainly  designed to study the characteristics and environment of Mercury from orbit. After an Earth flyby July-August, 2005, Venus flybys October-November, 2006, and May-June, 2007, and Mercury flybys December 2007 - January 2008, September-October, 2008, and September-October, 2009, 
 MESSENGER entered Mercury orbit 2011-03-04.  Much data of interest to
 the heliospheric community was obtained during the cruise phases 
 between planetary encounters from a magnetometer and an energetic 
 particle and plasma spectrometer.</Description>
      <Contact>
        <PersonID>spase://SMWG/Person/Ralph.L.McNutt.Jr</PersonID>
        <Role>ProjectScientist</Role>
      </Contact>
      <InformationURL>
        <Name>NSSDC Master Catalog</Name>
        <URL>http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=2004-030A</URL>
      </InformationURL>
    </ResourceHeader>
    <Location>
      <ObservatoryRegion>Mercury</ObservatoryRegion>
      <ObservatoryRegion>Heliosphere.Inner</ObservatoryRegion>     
    </Location>
    <OperatingSpan> 

      <StartDate>2004-08-03T00:00:00</StartDate>
      <StopDate>2015-04-30T00:00:00</StopDate>

      <!-- 

August 2005  Earth flyby
October 2006 Venus flyby
June 2007   Venus flyby
January 2008  Mercury flyby
October 2008   Mercury flyby
September 2009   Mercury flyby
March 2011  Yearlong science orbit of Mercury begins
-->
    </OperatingSpan>  
  </Observatory>
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