Space and astronomy news
rocket from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This spacecraft is now on its way to rendezvous with the M-type asteroid of the same name, an object in the Main Asteroid Belt almost entirely composed of metal. This metallic asteroid is thought to be the remnant of a planetoid that lost its outer layers, leaving behind a core of iron-nickel and precious metals. By studying this object, scientists hope to learn more about the formation of rocky planets.
About five minutes after liftoff, the fairings on the rocket’s second stage separated and the first stage boosters, which descended back to Earth. Roughly an hour into the flight, the payload separated from the second stage and reached orbit. Thespacecraft then entered safe mode while ground controllers waited to acquire a signal from the spacecraft. By 11:50 AM Eastern ,“We said ‘goodbye’ to our spacecraft, the center of so many work lives for so many years – thousands of people and a decade.
The first 100 days of the mission will be the initial checkout period, where mission controllers will test all of the flight systems to ensure they are in working order. A key part of this phase is testing the system, an ionic propulsion method powered by solar power. This extremely fuel-efficient system relies on electromagnetic fields to charge neutral gas atoms and accelerate them to create thrust.
NASA’s Psyche spacecraft takes a spiral path to asteroid Psyche, labeled with key milestones of the prime mission. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltechwill examine the metallic asteroid using a cutting-edge suite of scientific instruments, including a magnetometer, a gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer, and a multispectral imager.
This will be the first time NASA has tested high-bandwidth, high-data-rate optical communications beyond the Moon. These technologies will enablewill unlock as NASA’s first mission to a metal world,” said associate administrator Nicola Fox of the Space Mission Directorate at NASA HQ. “By studying asteroid Psyche, we hope to better understand our universe and our place in it, especially regarding the mysterious and impossible-to-reach metal core of our own home planet, Earth.
Deutschland Neuesten Nachrichten, Deutschland Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
NASA launches $1.2 billion Psyche asteroid probe on 6-year voyage to rare metal-rich asteroidThe asteroid Psyche may be a sample of planetary core material left over from the birth of the solar system 4.5 billion years ago.
Weiterlesen »
NASA’s Psyche Mission Launches to Mysterious Metallic AsteroidNASA’s Psyche mission is on its way to a heavy-metal asteroid of the same name—a type of object that scientists have never seen up close before
Weiterlesen »
NASA's Psyche spacecraft launches on first mission ever to a metal-rich asteroidDenise Chow is a reporter for NBC News Science focused on general science and climate change.
Weiterlesen »
NASA launches asteroid-chasing Psyche mission for clues to how planets formedThe Psyche mission is the first time the space agency has sent a probe to a world primarily made of metal, rather than rocks and ice.
Weiterlesen »
NASA, SpaceX Psyche mission launches to explore metal-rich asteroid in deep spaceNASA and SpaceX are hoping to launch their Psyche spacecraft into space on Friday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Psych mission is seeking to explore a metal-rich asteroid located between Jupiter and Mars.
Weiterlesen »