Psyche Probe, Launched in October 2023 en route to a metallic asteroid it was studying, it recently flew past Mars to take advantage of its gravitational pull and continue its trajectory toward the asteroid belt. During the maneuver, the probe obtained recent photos of the red planet.
Psyche flew to a distance of 4,609 kilometers (2,864 miles) from the surface of Mars and achieved higher speeds after completing its gravity assist. During the approach, NASA activated its onboard cameras, magnetometers, and gamma-ray and neutron spectrometers to calibrate each instrument based on the planet’s atmosphere and terrain.
In recent images released by the space agency, Mars’ rugged surface can be seen in detail along with traces of the solar wind, which is opulent in water ice around craters and the southern polar cap.
“We captured thousands of close approach images of Mars and the planet’s surface and atmosphere. This dataset provides us with unique and important opportunities to calibrate and characterize camera performance, as well as test early versions of our imaging tools being developed for use on the Psyche asteroid.” said Jim Bellhead of the Psyche Imaging Facility at Arizona State University.
According to mission scientists, after flying past Mars, the probe reached a speed of 1,600 kilometers per hour, shifting its orbit by one degree. The goal is to reach Psyche in the summer of 2029.
