One record per aspect. The origin says what kind of thing each value is; the source says where it came from; the limit says what it cannot tell you.
Trajectory from Horizons state vectors
MESSENGER's position is interpolated between 131 heliocentric state-vector samples from JPL Horizons that run through 2015-04-09. Past the last sample the marker holds its final position.
Epoch2004-08-04 to 2015-04-09
MethodJ2000 equatorial, Sun-centred position samples baked at author time by scripts/bake-trajectories.mjs; the app interpolates linearly between adjacent samples.
UncertaintyHorizons state vectors are precise to the metre scale; linear interpolation between samples adds an error that grows with the sample spacing (days for cruise, minutes around flybys).
LimitPosition only. Spacecraft attitude (which way it points) is not modelled, and no covariance is stored.
Bulk properties
MESSENGER: mass 1.107 × 10^3 kg. These values are bundled with the object record and drive the rendered size.
Close-up hull model
The close-up shows a published 3D model scaled to 6 m deployed maximum extent. Distributed through NASA 3D Resources; original mission-agency credit applies.
MethodSpace Time normalises the source model to the published deployed dimension.
LimitSource-asset presentation pose; time-dependent flight attitude is not modeled.
Description and facts
The short description and the fact list are written by the Space Time authors for orientation. They are not quoted from a catalog field and carry no citation of their own.
SourceSpace Time editorial text
LimitBackground reading is linked under Further reading; it is not the source of the displayed numbers.
Trajectory coverage: 2004-08-04 to 2015-04-09 (131 samples). Outside that window the marker holds its last known position.
Space Time