NASA's MESSENGER Slams into Mercury at 8,750 MPH (VIDEO)

NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft crashed into the surface of Mercury on Thursday, causing its mission to come to a dramatic end. The spacecraft slammed into the planet at about 8,750 mph and created a new crater on the surface.

This crash landing wasn't an accident. Scientists scheduled the spacecraft to hit Mercury after it ran out of propellant. It hit the surface at about 3:26 p.m. EDT on Thursday.

"Going out with a bang as it impacts the surface of Mercury, we are celebrating MESSENGER as more than a successful mission," said John Grunsfeld, one of the researchers, in a news release. "The MESSENGER mission will continue to provide scientists with a bonanza of new results as we begin the next phase of this mission-analyzing the exciting data already in the archives, and unravelling the mysteries of Mercury."

MESSENGER began its last day of its mission by transmitting the final delivery of data and images from Mercury via a 230-foot DSN antenna located in Madrid, Spain. After a planned transition to a 111-foot DSN antenna in California, mission operators confirmed the switch to a beacon-only communication signal at 3:04 p.m.

"Today we bid a fond farewell to one of the most resilient and accomplished spacecraft to ever explore our neighboring planets," said Sean Solomon, MESSENGER's principal investigator, in a news release. "A resourceful and committed team of engineers, mission operators, scientists and managers can be extremely proud that the MESSENGER mission has surpassed all expectations and delivered a stunningly long list of discoveries that have changed our views-not only of one of Earth's sibling planets, but of the entire inner solar system."

Want to learn a bit more about MESSENGER? Check out the video below, courtesy of YouTube.

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