Messenger Swings By Earth

Status Report: MESSENGER Lines Up for Earth Swingby

“Carried out by two small thrusters that poke through MESSENGER’s sunshade, the maneuver pinpointed the craft for a closest approach of 1,458 miles (2,347 kilometers) over central Asia at 3:13 p.m. EDT on Aug. 2. Mission design team members say that directing MESSENGER along just the right path above Earth will mean smaller course-correction maneuvers on the way to the 2006 gravity-assist flyby at Venus – ultimately saving fuel for later in the mission.”