<?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>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>2004-08-03</StartDate> <StopDate>2015-04-30</StopDate> <Note></Note> <!-- 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> </Spase>