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Spacecraft Buzzes By Mercury

Riding with Robots writes "The robotic spacecraft MESSENGER is making its second fly-by of the first planet today, skimming just 200 kilometers above the surface. The fly-by will reveal portions of the planet that have never been seen before, but the main purpose of the maneuver is to prepare for an orbital insertion in 2011. The mission site offers extensive information, along with the first pictures that are already arriving on Earth, with many more expected in the coming hours and days."<p><a href="http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/10/06/1248224&from=rss"><img src="http://slashdot.org/slashdot-it.pl?from=rss&op=image&style=h0&sid=08/10/06/1248224"></a></p><p><a href="http://science.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/10/06/1248224&from=rss">Read more of this story</a> at Slashdot.</p> <p><a href="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/gA7V_pyD4bAwR-JXF7kRMAT8e4U/a"><img src="http://feedads.googleadservices.com/~a/gA7V_pyD4bAwR-JXF7kRMAT8e4U/i" border="0" ismap="true"></img></a></p><img src="http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~4/8wlce1jI8WU" height="1" width="1"/>