LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Mercury (Planet): Space Sci
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At 2:04 p.m. EST on Monday, MESSENGER skimmed 200 kilometers (124 miles) above the surface of Mercury in the first of three flybys of the planet. Initial indications from the radio signals indicate the spacecraft is still operating nominally. The first science data return from the flyby was received today, just minutes before the closest approach point with the planet, as planned.
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MESSENGER's suite of instruments ... has provided insight into the mineral makeup of the surface terrain and detected ultraviolet emissions from sodium, calcium and hydrogen in Mercury's exosphere. The spacecraft explored the sodium-rich exospheric "tail," which extends more than 25,000 miles from the planet.
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The European Space Agency (ESA) signalled the start of a busy period for the planet Mercury, when it signed the contract for industrial development to start for the BepiColombo mission today (18th January 2008) at Astrium in Friedrichshafen, Germany. UK scientists and industry have key roles in BepiColombo, including construction of spacecraft subsystems and science instrument design.
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Scientists theorized that Mercury consisted of a silicate mantle surrounding a solid iron core. This iron was considered solid - or so the theory went - because small planets like Mercury cool off rapidly after their formation. If Mercury followed this pattern, then its core should have frozen long ago.
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Concern over the potential health hazards of mercury levels in fish led the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to issue consumption guidelines in March 2004. The two agencies said pregnant women, children, nursing mothers, and women who may become pregnant should not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel, or tilefish. The agencies ... recommended that this group reduce its consumption of tuna, especially albacore tuna, which is often sold as white tuna. The recommended levels were 6 oz (170 g) of albacore tuna per week and 12 oz (340 g) of light tuna per week. The European Union’s food safety authority also recommended that pregnant women limit their consumption of fish, particularly swordfish and tuna. Scientific studies have shown that unsafe levels of mercury can cause neurological damage, particularly in young children and fetuses.
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Although Mercury is the smallest of the terrestrial planets, it is the densest by far when calculating pure mass. Of great interest, 65 percent of the planet appears to be comprised of pure metal, twice the amount of the Earth. Being metal rich, the planet has become a point of great interest in the scientific community.
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