Aug 3 2004
From The Space Library
NASA launched its MESSENGER spacecraft on a seven-year mission to study Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun. MESSENGER ~ Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geochemistry, and Ranging ~ launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida at 1:16 a.m. (EDT). Six countries had provided equipment for the spacecraft, which would photograph Mercury's surface and analyze the planet's magnetic field and mineral composition. Project scientists planned to use the resulting data to determine whether Mercury's composition is similar to that of Earth, Mars, and Venus. Although the spacecraft was not the first to photograph Mercury ~ NASA's Mariner 10 had photographed the planet during flybys in 1974 and 1975 ~ MESSENGER was the first spacecraft designed to examine Mercury while orbiting the planet. (Mark Carreau, “Messenger Leaves on 7-Year Voyage,” Houston Chronicle, 4 August 2004; NASA, “NASA Sending a Messenger to Mercury,” news release 04-215, 15 July 2004.
ISS crew members E. Michael Fincke and Gennady I. Padalka performed a spacewalk to prepare the ISS for the arrival of new unpiloted cargo ships, scheduled to launch in late 2005. ESA had created the new cargo vessels, formally called Automated Transfer Vehicles (ATVs). Fincke and Padalka installed new communications antennas and laser reflectors to facilitate the docking of the ATVs at the ISS. During the 41/2-hour excursion, the two men also replaced a circuit breaker and rotated scientific experiments. (NASA, “International Space Station Status Report: SS04-024,” news release SS04-024, 3 August 2004.
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