Friday, May 1, 2015

Adieu, MESSENGER: 8/03/2004 - 4/30/2015

Alas, poor MESSENGER

I knew it, Mercury, a spacecraft of infinite data gathering, of most excellent fancy. 

Numbers as of last August. via Johns Hopkins APL

It hath borne my wonder on its back a thousand times, and now, how abhorred in my newsfeed it is! My gorge rises at its impactful outcome

Last image from MESSENGER 

Here hung those cameras whose images I have view'd I know not how oft. 
—Where be your tweets now? 
Your gifs? 
Your flash of Earth that was wont to set the media on a roar? 

Earth/Moon from Mercury!

Not about now to mock your own accomplishments? 
Quite chapfallen?

[h/t W. Shakespeare for the prose]