MESSENGER s Last Day on Mercury . ... Credit Copyright: NASA , Johns Hopkins Univ. ... CIW Explanation: The first to orbit Mercury, the MESSENGER spacecraft came to rest on this region of Mercury's surface yesterday . ... MESSENGER'S final orbit was predicted to end near the center, with the spacecraft impacting the surface at nearly 4 kilometers per second (over 87,000 miles per hour) and creating a new crater about 16 meters (52 feet) in diameter. ... NASA Official: Jay Norris. ...