Moons 0
Mercury is the second smallest planet in the solar system. Mercury was named by the Romans after the fleet-footed messenger of the gods because it seemed to move more quickly than any other planet. Its diameter is 40% smaller than earths and 40% larger than the moons. Its even smaller than Jupiter's moon Ganymede and Saturns moon Titan. The pictures returned from the Mariner 10 spacecraft showed a world that resembles the moon. It is pocked with craters, contains hugh multi-ring basins, and many lava flows.
Mercury News.
Mariner 10 was the first mission to use the gravitational attraction of one planet to reach another. The satalite first went to Venus on november 3rd 1973. It was then to sling shot around Venus which it did and travel on to Mercury. The first mission with two planetary objectives, and (to date) the only mission ever to perform up close imaging and science at Mercury. Mariner 10 flew past Mercury at 756 km altitude on March 29, 1974.
Above Mariner 10.
Above Mariner 10 close up of various craters.