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The probe, which was the first to orbit planet closest to sun, collected massive amounts of revelatory data before running out of fuel Continue reading...

Space super-prang at 8,000 MPH – we won't see the hole for a while, crocodile Pic NASA's Messenger spacecraft has slammed into the planet Mercury at 3.9km per second (8,724 MPH) – creating the first human-made crater on the alien world.…

After a decade in space and four years in orbit, Nasa's Messenger spacecraft will end its mission on Thursday by crashing into the surface of Mercury.

Out of fuel, it's got a date with the planet's surface tomorrow.

The probe, which has been mapping Mercury since 2011, is due to run out of fuel on Thursday and is expected to crash into the far side of the planetMercury, the innermost planet of the solar system, will acquire a fresh crater on Thursday when a half-tonne US spacecraft slams into the planet’s surface to end its spectacular four-year mission.The Messenger probe launched from Earth in 2004 and has been mapping Mercury in exquisite detail since it arrived in orbit in 2011. The spacecraft has beamed back a series of breathtaking images of the tiny, scorched world, which orbits so close to the sun that daytime temperatures reach 427 Celsius.Related: Mercury's 'dynamic and complex world' revealed by Nasa's Messenger Continue reading...

Crash, bang, wallop, what a spacecraft – read our pre-obit +Vid NASA has announced that on April 30, a 16-metre wide crater will be formed on the surface of Mercury by the hand of Man.…