<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<Spase xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xmlns="http://www.spase-group.org/data/schema" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.spase-group.org/data/schema http://www.spase-group.org/data/schema/spase-2_2_6.xsd">
  <Version>2.2.6</Version>
  <Observatory>
    <ResourceID>spase://CDPP/Observatory/AMDA/MESSENGER</ResourceID>
    <ResourceHeader>
      <ResourceName>MESSENGER</ResourceName>

      <AlternateName>The Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging Mission</AlternateName>

      <ReleaseDate>2012-02-09T21:20:38Z</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>
  </Observatory>
</Spase>