Psyche flew to Mars to receive gravity assist from the Red Planet.
NASA has released images that Psyche took while it was flying over Mars to get a gravity assist from the red planet on its way to the metallic asteroid 16 Psyche. One of the photos, which you can see above, shows the Huygens double-ring crater. Psyche took an image of a 290-mile-diameter crater shortly after its closest approach to the planet. The different colors in the image are the result of differences in the composition of dust, sand and rock, although NASA has enhanced the colors to make them more pronounced.
Psyche was also able to take a high-resolution photo of Mars’ south pole after its closest approach. There are vast fields of water ice at the south pole of Mars that remain in the same position throughout the year, and they appear as a bright spot in the image.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
However, before Psyche took those images, the spacecraft had taken a photo showing a crescent-shaped Mars. This was the view the spacecraft saw as it approached Mars from above, as the planet’s surface was reflecting sunlight. NASA says the crescent moon appears brighter and more widespread than the surface of Mars because sunlight also reflects off the planet’s dusty atmosphere.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU
After receiving a gravity assist from Mars, Psyche will resume using its solar-electric propulsion system to continue its journey. The spacecraft begins a six-year journey to its namesake asteroid in October 2023. During the flyby, it approached Mars closer than any of the planet’s own moons and passed within 2,800 miles of its surface at its closest approach. The spacecraft is expected to reach its destination in 2029, after which it will spend two years orbiting and observing the asteroid. 16 Psyche is the largest known metallic asteroid in our solar system, and scientists believe data from observations of it could give us information about the formation of our own planet’s core.
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