On July 7, NASA announced selection of two projects as the next Discovery missions.

The MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging mission, or MESSENGER, is a scientific investigaton of Mercury, the planet closest to the Sun. It will perform two flybys and then orbit the planet for one Earth year to study its composition, geology, magnetic field, interior, polar deposits, atmosphere, and magnetosphere.

The Deep Impact mission will propel a large copper projectile into the surface of a comet, creating a huge crater. This will permit a variety of instruments, both onboard the spacecraft and at ground-based observatories, to study the resulting debris and interior material.

See the NASA press release for more information on the selection of these two missions.

To learn more about the investigation of Mercury, visit the MESSENGER home page.

Go to 1999 News Articles Archive