New Study Reveals Surprisingly Different Surface

Mercury’s surface contains roughly 37 percent silicon dioxide by mass, according to a study published in Planetary Research, placing the compound up to 25 percent below earlier scientific estimates. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research alongside the Universities of Münster and Göttingen used an indirect calibration method involving laboratory glass beads … Read more

BepiColombo: ESA Mission Reaches Key Milestone on Mercury Approach

European Space Agency spacecraft BepiColombo stands on the verge of entering Mercury orbit after an eight-year journey, facing extreme solar radiation and temperatures reaching 450 degrees Celsius, according to mission officials. The complex arrival sequence begins when the spacecraft splits in two to shield instruments and initiate braking maneuvers against intense solar gravity. BepiColombo Separation … Read more