At 9:48 pm EDT, the announcement was made by Johns Hopkins University that MESSENGER was safely and accurately in orbit around Mercury. Over 4.9 BILLION miles and 6 1/2 years, MESSENGER will soon begin a year long exploration of the planet nearest the Sun using 7 science instruments. More details can be seen at http://www.nasa.gov/messenger.
Here is a picture of the planet - Jupiter is low, Mercury is high - taken just minutes before the 15 minute orbital engine burn.
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