{"id":6184,"date":"2026-05-14T16:32:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T16:32:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6184"},"modified":"2026-05-14T16:32:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T16:32:42","slug":"nasas-psyche-spacecraft-buzzing-mars-on-its-way-to-a-rare-metal-asteroid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6184","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s Psyche spacecraft buzzing Mars on its way to a rare metal asteroid"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

By MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer<\/strong><\/p>\n

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) \u2014 A NASA spacecraft chasing a rare metal asteroid swings past Mars this week for a gravity boost, snapping thousands of pictures as practice for the main encounter in 2029.<\/p>\n

Read more Denver runway fatality reveals a weakness in airport security<\/a><\/p>\n

Named Psyche like the asteroid it\u2019s after, the robotic explorer will slingshot past the red planet at 12,333 mph on Friday.<\/p>\n

It will be an especially close flyby, with Psyche passing within 2,800 miles of Mars, equivalent to the distance between the U.S. east and west coasts. Then it will barrel toward the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter that is home to its enticing target.<\/p>\n

All of the spacecraft\u2019s science instruments will be on for the Mars pass. NASA\u2019s two Mars rovers along with a small fleet of U.S. and European orbiters will make surface and atmospheric observations at the same time for comparison.<\/p>\n

Psyche\u2019s cameras already are photographing Mars, appearing as a crescent on approach and a nearly full sphere once it\u2019s in the rearview mirror. The different views will serve double duty, allowing operators to fine-tune their instruments while providing \u201cjust plain beautiful photos,\u201d Arizona State University\u2019s Jim Bell, the imaging team leader, said in a statement.<\/p>\n

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While the asteroid belt is swarming with millions of objects, most are made of rock or ice. Only a small percentage are thought to be metal-rich like Psyche, a potato-shaped asteroid roughly 173 miles long and 144 miles wide.<\/p>\n

Scientists suspect the asteroid may be the exposed nickel and iron core of a fledgling planet that was stripped down by cosmic collisions. Studying such an object up close can yield information about the dawn of our solar system 4.6 billion years ago, and why and how Earth spawned life.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Launched in 2023, the spacecraft is midway through its six-year roundabout journey to Psyche in the outer fringes of the asteroid belt, three times farther from the sun than Earth. It should arrive in 2029, slipping into orbit around the asteroid for two years of study. The van-sized spacecraft runs on solar electric propulsion, using xenon gas thrusters.<\/p>\n

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute\u2019s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Activist flotilla leaves Turkey for Gaza weeks after Israel intercepted a previous convoy<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Psyche spacecraft passes within 2,800 miles of Mars, practicing for its 2029 encounter with a rare metal asteroid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6184","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-facts","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nNASA\u2019s Psyche spacecraft buzzing Mars on its way to a rare metal asteroid - Silicon Valley Moving Post<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=6184\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"NASA\u2019s Psyche spacecraft buzzing Mars on its way to a rare metal asteroid - 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