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The Psyche space probe used a close pass by Mars to gain speed, adjust its route, and capture thousands of unprecedented images of the planet while heading towards the asteroid 16 Psyche, a metallic body located between Mars and Jupiter and associated with billion-dollar estimates for containing iron, nickel, and gold
The Psyche space probe passed 4,609 kilometers from the surface of Mars, gained a boost of 1,600 kilometers per hour, and confirmed the route to reach, in August 2029, the asteroid 16 Psyche, in the belt between Mars and Jupiter.
Space probe uses Mars to head towards metallic asteroid
Launched in October 2023 from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, NASA’s mission is heading towards one of the most talked-about targets in the Solar System: the asteroid 16 Psyche.
The scientific interest is linked to the composition attributed to the celestial body. It is associated with the presence of metals such as iron, nickel, and gold, and has been valued at $10,000,000,000,000,000 in published estimates.
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The real confirmation about this composition will only come when the space probe reaches the asteroid in 2029. Until then, the journey also serves to test instruments and refine procedures used in the mission.
Passage by Mars yielded thousands of images
During the approach to Mars, Psyche was traveling at about 84,000 miles per hour. The gravitational assist maneuver allowed the planet to alter the spacecraft’s trajectory.
Jim Bell, responsible for the Psyche imaging instrument at Arizona State University, reported that thousands of images of the approach, the surface, and the Martian atmosphere were captured during the passage.
The set includes the first view of a nearly fully covered Mars and the highest resolution image of the planet’s southern polar cap, rich in water ice. The formation extends for more than 700 kilometers.
Data helps prepare for the arrival in 2029
The images also help calibrate the cameras and test processing tools that will be used on the Psyche asteroid.
Don Han, head of navigation for the mission at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, stated that monitoring the Doppler signal confirmed the success of the flyby.
With the boost received from Mars and the adjustment of about 1 degree in its orbital plane, the spacecraft continues towards the planned encounter for the summer of 2029.
What do you think of NASA’s mission towards the asteroid 16 Psyche? Leave your opinion in the comments and tell us if the most curious part for you is the possible value of the metals, the unprecedented images of Mars, or the arrival of the space probe at the asteroid in 2029.
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