| .....The Mercury Surface,
Space Environment, Geochemistry and
Ranging (MESSENGER) mission is designed
to study the characteristics and
environment of Mercury from orbit.
Specifically, the scientific objectives
of the mission are to study the surface
composition, geologic history, core and
mantle, magnetic field, and tenuous
atmosphere of Mercury, and to search for
water ice and other frozen volatiles at
the poles over a nominal orbital mission
of one Earth year. .....The launch
windows for MESSENGER are 23 March 2004
to 9 April 2004 and 2-16 August 2004.
Launch will take place on a Delta 7925H (a
Delta II Lite launch vehicle with nine
strap-on solid-rocket boosters). There
will be an Earth flyby on 2 August 2005
at an altitude of 5536 km above the
surface followed by two Venus flybys, on
25 October 2006 at an altitude of 3544 km
and 6 June 2007 at 300 km. The first of
two Mercury flybys, both at 200 km
altitude, will be on 15
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