tech
NASA's Psyche spacecraft returns unfamiliar views of a familiar world
As a bonus, it captured Mars images from a rare perspective.
TL;DR
- The NASA Psyche mission, launched in October 2023, used a Mars flyby to gain speed for its journey to the asteroid Psyche.
- The spacecraft's trajectory was adjusted using Martian gravity, resulting in a speed boost of 1,000 miles per hour and a 1-degree shift in its orbital plane.
- Ground teams tested Psyche's three science instruments—a multispectral imager, a gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer, and a magnetometer—during the Mars encounter.
- The mission captured images of Mars from a rare high phase angle, showing the planet as a thin crescent and showcasing its thin atmosphere.
- The Mars flyby data will help scientists calibrate and characterize the performance of Psyche's instruments before its arrival at the asteroid in summer 2029.