2.2.6 spase://CDPP/Observatory/AMDA/MESSENGER MESSENGER Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry and Ranging Mission 2012-02-09T21:20:38Z 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. spase://SMWG/Person/Ralph.L.McNutt.Jr ProjectScientist NSSDC Master Catalog http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraftDisplay.do?id=2004-030A Mercury Heliosphere.Inner 2004-08-03 2015-04-30