This is a picture from the Discovery program web site.
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Courtesy of NASA
Discovery Program
NASA's Discovery program specializes in low-cost, scientific projects. There are currently six projects in the Discovery Program. Three of them have already completed their primary missions.
Lunar Prospector has successfully mapped the Moon's composition and gravity field,
Mars Pathfinder landed on the Red Planet and
NEAR orbited Eros for a year ending with a successful landing in February 2001.
The other three Discovery program missions are the
Stardust,
Genesis and
CONTOUR
missions.
On July 7, 1999, two more missions were chosen to be a part of the Discovery program - Deep Impact and the MESSENGER mission to Mercury. These projects are in development.
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