NASA’s Psyche probe is about to slingshot around Mars at 12,000 mph

NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft Set for High-Speed Mars Flyby

NASA’s Psyche spacecraft is preparing for a high-stakes encounter with the Red Planet, a maneuver designed to sling the probe deeper into the solar system. On Friday, May 15, Psyche will skim just 2,800 miles (4,500 kilometers) above the Martian surface, traveling at approximately 12,333 mph (19,848 kph). While the primary goal is a gravitational boost, the flyby offers a rare opportunity for scientists to calibrate instruments before the spacecraft reaches its final destination: the unique, metal-rich asteroid Psyche in 2029.

The Mechanics of a Gravity Assist

Launched on Oct. 13, 2023, Psyche isn’t relying solely on its engines to reach the asteroid belt. The spacecraft uses a solar-electric propulsion system powered by xenon gas, but mission planners are using Mars’ gravity to do the heavy lifting. By performing this “gravity assist,” the spacecraft will alter its path and increase its speed, significantly reducing the amount of propellant needed for the remainder of the journey.

Precision is everything for a maneuver of this scale. To ensure the spacecraft was perfectly aligned, the operations team executed a trajectory correction maneuver on Feb. 23, firing the thrusters for 12 hours to fine-tune the course and slightly increase speed.

“We are now exactly on target for the flyby, and we’ve programmed the flight computer with everything that the spacecraft will do throughout May,” said Sarah Bairstow, Psyche’s mission planning lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Science on the Fly: Calibration and Discovery

While the flyby is essentially a navigational shortcut, the mission team is treating it as a critical “dress rehearsal” for the asteroid arrival. Using the multispectral imager, the team plans to collect thousands of observations of Mars to refine imaging techniques.

The visual experience will be unique. Because Psyche is approaching from the night side of the planet, Mars will initially appear as a thin crescent. Jim Bell, the Psyche imager instrument lead at Arizona State University, notes that the transition from a thin crescent on approach to a “full Mars” view after the flyby provides ideal conditions for calibration and high-quality photography.

Beyond photography, the team is hunting for subtle Martian phenomena:

• The Dusty Ring: Researchers suspect a faint dusty ring, or torus, may surround Mars, created by micrometeorites striking the moons Phobos and Deimos. Depending on the sunlight’s angle, Psyche may capture evidence of this dust.
• Moonlet Searches: The imager will perform “satellite search” observations to prepare the team for searching for possible moonlets orbiting the asteroid Psyche.
• Magnetic and Cosmic Data: The onboard magnetometer will observe how Mars’ magnetic field interacts with solar charged particles, while the gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer will study changes in cosmic rays.

A Collaborative Effort in Deep Space

Tracking a spacecraft moving at over 12,000 mph requires a global network. Mission controllers are monitoring radio signals via NASA’s Deep Space Network (DSN). By analyzing the Doppler shift in these signals, engineers can instantly determine the spacecraft’s updated speed and trajectory after it departs Mars.

Psyche isn’t working alone. A fleet of existing Martian assets is providing navigation support and comparative data, including:

• NASA Orbiters and Rovers: Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Odyssey, Curiosity, and Perseverance.
• International Partners: ESA’s Mars Express and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter.

Lindy Elkins-Tanton, principal investigator for Psyche at the University of California, Berkeley, emphasizes that while the gravity assist is the primary objective, the scientific testing is “the icing on the cake.”

Key Takeaways: Psyche’s Mars Encounter

As Psyche leaves the orbit of Mars behind, it continues its long trek toward the asteroid belt, carrying the lessons learned from this flyby to unlock the secrets of one of the solar system’s most mysterious metallic bodies.