NASA’s Messenger space probe has crashed into Mercury after running out of fuel, ending a nearly 11-year journey that provided valuable data and photos.
The agency estimates the probe hit the surface at 8,750 miles per hour and created an impact crater 52 feet (16 meters) in diameter. The crash wasn’t visible from Earth because it occurred on the far side of Mercury.
Messenger was the first spacecraft to orbit Mercury, the planet closest to the sun. It traveled about 5 billion miles — a journey that included 15 trips around the sun.
Photo: This image of a “red spot” on Mercury, which is thought to be the result of a volcanic explosion, was sent to Earth by the Messenger probe in 2011.
