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Updated December 21st, 2021 at 23:39 IST

NASA says its Psyche spacecraft will orbit world 'we can barely pinpoint from Earth'

NASA, on Tuesday, said that its Psyche spacecraft will orbit the world we can barely pinpoint from Earth. The mission is set to launch in 2022.

Reported by: Riya Baibhawi
NASA
(Image: NASA) | Image:self
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NASA on Tuesday said that its Psyche spacecraft will orbit the world we can barely pinpoint from Earth. Elaborating further on its much-vaunted mission, the space organization said that the spacecraft will orbit the namesake metal-rich asteroid belt located between the planets Mars and Jupiter. The mission will launch in 2022 and is expected to reach the ‘uncharted” asteroid belt in the year 2026.

“The target of NASA’s Psyche mission – a metal-rich asteroid, also called Psyche, in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter – is an uncharted world in outer space. From Earth- and space-based telescopes, the asteroid appears as a fuzzy blur. What scientists do know, from radar data, is that it’s shaped somewhat like a potato and that it spins on its side,” NASA said.

It is worth mentioning that the idea was first proposed by Lindy Elkins-Tanton of Arizona State University for NASA's Discovery Program. She is also the principal investigator for the mission. Emphasizing that little is known about the Psyche asteroid belt, Lindy said, “If it turns out to be part of a metal core, it would be part of the very first generation of early cores in our solar system.

“But we don’t really know, and we won’t know anything for sure until we get there. We wanted to ask primary questions about the material that built planets. We’re filled with questions and not a lot of answers. This is real exploration,” she continued.

Image: NASA

What is known about Psyche asteroid belt?

NASA scientists deem the Psyche asteroid belt to be “lumpy” with uneven distribution of mass. “Some parts may be less dense, like a sponge, and some may be more tightly packed and more massive,” NASA said in a statement. As mass determines gravitational pull, it is expected that parts of Psyche with more mass would have a stronger pull on the spacecraft.

"To solve the gravity-field mystery, the mission team will use the spacecraft’s telecommunications system. By measuring subtle changes in the X-band radio waves bouncing back and forth between the spacecraft and the large Deep Space Network antennas around Earth, engineers can precisely determine the asteroid’s mass, gravity field, rotation, orientation, and wobble," NASA said. 

(Image: NASA)

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Published December 21st, 2021 at 23:39 IST

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