Scientists at NASA are excited by the new images and information they’ve received about Mercury. Thanks to the MESSENGER probe, scientists got their first good look at Mercury in over 30 years.

At a total price tag of nearly $450 million for the entire mission, the MESSENGER probe was sent into space in August of 2004. The probe is schedule to travel nearly five billion miles in total.

This close-up flyby of Mercury is one of three close-ups scheduled for the MESSENGER probe. The second pass is schedule for October, while the third pass is to be made in September of 2009.

The MESSENGER probe flew by Mercury at just under 125 miles from the planet’s surface. The probe photographed much of the never before seen terrain of Mercury. In total, over one thousand images and countless analytic readers where taken as the probe flew by the planet.

The last time NASA was able to get a good look at Mercury was in 1975 thanks to Mariner 10. These new photographs and information have NASA scientists understandably excited.

“I just can’t wait,” exclaimed Mark Robinson, a scientist close to the MESSENGER project. “I want to see what’s around the corner.”

Photo credit: NASA