NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft Will Head To An Asteroid Worth $10,000 Quadrillion
Prior to its scheduled launch date this summer, NASA’s asteroid-chasing Psyche spacecraft was shown to the public.
Final preparations are being made by the team of engineers who will launch the spacecraft from Florida’s Cape Canaveral in August in search of the asteroid’s metal-abundant companion.
For a gravitational assist in May 2023, the spaceship will pass past Mars. Then, in early 2026, the probe will enter orbit around the central asteroid belt spanning Mars & Jupiter. Astronomers have speculated that the asteroid, which is 173 miles (280 kilometers) broad at its widest part, is rich of valuable metals worth $10,000 quadrillion and might be valued much more.
As Psyche’s gravity pulls on other bodies, scientists think she may really be more solid rock than a gigantic lump of iron ought to be. NASA is hoping that the Psyche expedition will be equipped to validate either scenario and discover the asteroid’s actual origins.
For NASA, the most likely candidate for the rock’s metal nucleus is a planetesimal, the smallest of the planetesimals that make up our solar system’s four rocky planets: Mercury (our home planet), Venus (our planet), and Mars.So, if that’s the case, we’d have a rare chance to learn more about how Earth-like planets emerge.
Researchers think that the lava under the crust of rocky planets contains dense metal cores, but since these cores are so deep down the planet’s mantle as well as crust, it is impossible to directly detect and examine them. Psyche is expected to bring up new possibilities in this area, according to the specialists, who think it may really be the uncovered nucleus of an ancient world.
The launch is an important step, but we need more ambitious space exploration missions and even explorations into our own Solar System.
Tiesha loves to share her passion for everything that’s beautiful in this world. Apart from writing on her beauty blog and running her own beauty channel on Youtube, she also enjoys traveling and photography. Tiesha covers various stories on the website.
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