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On this day in space! Aug. 3, 2004: NASA launches MESSENGER spacecraft to orbit Mercury
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Click for next articleOn Aug. 3, 2004, NASA launched the MESSENGER spacecraft on a historic first mission to orbit the planet Mercury .
The spacecraft's name stands for the MErcury Surface, Space ENvironment, GEochemistry and Ranging mission.
It made 15 trips around the sun before it finally arrived in Mercury's orbit in 2011.
The launch of NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft was the first step to bring the rocky, craggy Mercury within tantalizing reach of scientists hoping for an upclose look at the planet.
In 2015, NASA ended the MESSENGER mission by crashing the probe into Mercury .