Discovery Program

MESSENGER – From Setbacks to Success – NASA

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MESSENGER – From Setbacks to Success – NASA

The excerpts below are taken from Discovery Program oral history interviews conducted in 2009 by Dr. Susan Niebur and tell the story of the hurdles the MESSENGER (MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry, and Ranging) mission team faced with the technical requirements of visiting Mercury, budget challenges, and schedule impacts —all while keeping their mission goals … Read more

Clues to Psyche Asteroid’s Metallic Nature Found in SOFIA Data – NASA

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Clues to Psyche Asteroid’s Metallic Nature Found in SOFIA Data – NASA

When the asteroid Psyche has its first close-up with a NASA spacecraft, scientists hypothesize they will find a metal-rich asteroid. It could be part or all of the iron-rich interior of a planetesimal, an early planetary building block, that was stripped of its outer rocky shell as it repeatedly collided with other large bodies during … Read more