NASA's Psyche probe nears Mars for gravity boost en route to metal-rich asteroid
Yahoo • • science
Key Points:
- NASA's Psyche probe is set for a close flyby of Mars on May 19, 2024, using the planet's gravity to accelerate and adjust its trajectory toward the metallic asteroid Psyche in the main asteroid belt.
- Launched in October 2023, the spacecraft will travel 2.2 billion miles and is expected to reach the asteroid by August 2029, where it will orbit and study the object for 26 months.
- Psyche is believed to be the exposed core of an ancient protoplanet, composed mainly of metals like iron, nickel, and gold, providing a unique opportunity to study planetary formation processes.
- The mission aims to enhance understanding of Earth's and other rocky planets' cores, which cannot be directly studied due to extreme conditions, and is not intended for space mining despite the asteroid's high theoretical metal value.
- During the Mars flyby, the Psyche team will also calibrate the spacecraft's scientific instruments and test imaging capabilities across different wavelengths.