This spectacular view of the crater degas was obtained as a high-resolution targeted observation (90 m/pixel). Impact melt coats its floor, and as the melt cooled and shrank, it formed the cracks observed across the crater. For context, mariner 10’s view of degas is shown at left. Degas is 52 km in diameter and is centered at 37. 1° n, 232. 8° e. The messenger spacecraft is the first ever to orbit the planet mercury, and the spacecraft's seven scientific instruments and radio science investigation are unraveling the history and evolution of the solar system's innermost planet. Visit the why mercury? section of this website to learn more about the key science questions that the messenger mission is addressing. During the one-year primary mission, mdis is scheduled to acquire more than 75,000 images in support of messenger's science goals. Instrument: wide angle camera (wac) of the mercury dual imaging system (mdis).
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