• 2 min read
Psyche’s Mars flyby produced striking new images
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft used its May 15 Mars flyby for a gravity assist and captured unusual time-lapse views of the planet on the way.
Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft turned a routine gravity assist into a photo opportunity, capturing striking new views of Mars during a May 15 flyby on its way to the asteroid belt.
The spacecraft used Mars as a gravitational slingshot to adjust its trajectory toward the asteroid Psyche, but NASA also had it observe the planet with every instrument onboard. The standout result is a daily time-lapse assembled from images taken as the spacecraft approached Mars, creating an eye-like view shaped by Psyche’s unusual angle of approach. The team also produced a month-long time-lapse spanning May 2 to May 31, later condensed into a 1 minute and 15 seconds video.
“Coming in at such a high phase crescent, only about 4% of Mars was illuminated, and with that, we could see the atmosphere around it glowing.”
Psyche continued imaging Mars as it departed for the asteroid belt.
What Psyche measured during the Mars flyby
The spacecraft gathered more than pictures. During the brief encounter, its instruments studied Mars' atmosphere reacting to solar winds and measured neutrons striking the planet’s surface through its thin atmosphere. While Psyche’s tools were not specifically designed for planetary science, Mars offered a useful real-world test.
“The mission’s imager, magnetometer and gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer teams worked overtime to make full use of this planetary encounter, and all instruments delivered great results.”
Many spacecraft have photographed Mars' surface, and now Psyche has joined them.
Recommended reading
Self-assembling thin-film electronics come from Japan
The team did not expect major discoveries from a planet studied for decades, but the flyby still produced useful calibration data. According to Jim Bell, Psyche’s imager instrument lead at Arizona State University, the camera also identified Phobos and Deimos from far away as practice for a future search for possible moonlets around the asteroid Psyche. NASA expects the spacecraft to reach the asteroid in August 2029.
Frontier Editor
Dan is our resident futurist, covering electric mobility, space exploration, and the smart home. He's interested in atoms just as much as bits. Whether it's a new battery chemistry, a reusable rocket, or a protocol that finally makes IoT devices talk to each other, Dan breaks down the engineering that pushes humanity forward.
via CNET
