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Asteroid Exploration

All articles tagged with #asteroid exploration

science1 year ago

NASA's Psyche Mission: The $10 Quintillion Asteroid and Its Global Impact

NASA's Psyche Mission, launched in October 2023, aims to explore the metallic asteroid 16 Psyche, valued at $10 quintillion, to uncover insights into planetary formation. Located in the asteroid belt, 16 Psyche is believed to be the exposed core of a failed planet, offering a unique opportunity to study planetary cores. The mission, featuring advanced technologies like solar-electric propulsion and laser communication, will reach the asteroid in 2029, conducting extensive studies to understand its composition and magnetic properties.

via The Daily Galaxy --Great Discoveries Channel|
#asteroid-exploration#nasa#planetary-science
science-and-technology1 year ago

"NASA's Psyche Mission Activates Advanced Electric Propulsion"

NASA's Psyche mission has activated its electric Hall thrusters, propelling the spacecraft towards the metal-rich Psyche asteroid in the main asteroid belt. Launched in October 2023, Psyche is now in "full cruise" mode and has successfully tested laser-based deep space communications. Expected to reach the asteroid by 2029, the mission will study the object, believed to be the core of a planetesimal, for two years. Ion propulsion, used by Psyche, is efficient and durable, allowing the spacecraft to travel at high speeds with minimal fuel.

via The Verge|
#asteroid-exploration#electric-engines#ion-propulsion
space1 year ago

"Lucy Probe Successfully Fires Main Engines in Space, Heads Back to Earth"

NASA's Lucy spacecraft, on a mission to investigate asteroids from the solar system's formation, has successfully completed a crucial engine burn to redirect its trajectory back toward Earth for a gravity assist in December 2024. This maneuver will propel Lucy toward the Trojan asteroids, making it the first spacecraft to visit these objects. With over half of its fuel expended, Lucy will receive a boost from Earth to reach the Trojans, following which it will continue to explore several asteroids, including double systems and moonlets, before concluding its prime mission in 2033.

via Space.com|
#asteroid-exploration#gravity-assist#lucy-spacecraft
space2 years ago

"NASA's Lucy Spacecraft Makes Surprising Discoveries During Asteroid Flybys"

NASA's Lucy spacecraft, on its way to explore Jupiter Trojan asteroids, made an unexpected discovery during its flyby of the small main belt asteroid Dinkinesh. The first images returned by Lucy revealed that Dinkinesh is actually a binary pair, consisting of a larger body approximately 0.5 miles wide and a smaller body about 0.15 miles in size. This encounter served as an engineering test for the spacecraft's tracking system, which successfully autonomously tracked the asteroid as it flew past at 10,000 mph. The data collected will provide valuable insights into the nature of small asteroids.

via NASA|
#asteroid-exploration#binary-pair#dinkinesh-asteroid
space2 years ago

NASA's Mission to a Metal Asteroid: Launch Preparations on Track

NASA's Psyche spacecraft, set to explore a metal asteroid named Psyche, is ready for launch in less than two months. The spacecraft, equipped with an electric propulsion system and thermal insulation, will be fueled with xenon and nitrogen gas to drive it towards its destination in the asteroid belt. After a nearly six-year journey, the spacecraft will enter orbit around the metal-rich asteroid in August 2029, where it will conduct its primary exploration phase until late 2031. The mission aims to study the remnants of a proto-planet that formed billions of years ago.

via Ars Technica|
#asteroid-exploration#launch-preparation#metal-asteroid
space-exploration2 years ago

"ESA's Hera Mission: Exploring Asteroids with Precision and Imagination"

The team working on ESA's Hera asteroid mission, which aims to gather data about the Dimorphos moonlet, has used images from NASA's DART mission to visualize what it would be like for human explorers to follow in the footsteps of the CubeSats that will land on Dimorphos. The boulders covering Dimorphos are much larger than they appear, with the largest ones being house-sized. Moving across these boulders would involve climbing and jumping, but caution is needed to avoid exceeding the local escape velocity or triggering rock avalanches. The low gravity environment and varying surface characteristics pose challenges for navigation and movement. Hera's CubeSats, Juventas and Milani, will perform their own observations and gather data on the asteroid's interior, mineral composition, and surface characteristics before landing. The mission is scheduled to launch in October 2024.

via European Space Agency|
#asteroid-exploration#cubesats#dimorphos