By expelling charged atoms, or ions, of xenon gas, the ultra-efficient thrusters will propel the spacecraft to the asteroid (a 2.2-billion-mile, or 3.6-billion-kilometer journey) and help it maneuver in orbit. Until now, they’d been used only on spacecraft going as far as lunar orbit. 8, amid all the work with the science instruments, the team fired up two of the four electric propulsion thrusters, setting a record: the first-ever use of Hall-effect thrusters in deep space. Because Earth has its own powerful magnetic field, scientists obtained a much better measurement of the spacecraft magnetic field once it was in space. It also confirms that the spacecraft is magnetically “quiet.” The electrical currents powering a probe of this size and complexity have the potential to generate magnetic fields that could interfere with science detections. Data collected so far confirms that the magnetometer can precisely detect very small magnetic fields. Since then, the team has seen several of these events and will continue to monitor space weather as the spacecraft travels to the asteroid. Shortly after being powered on, the magnetometer gave scientists an unexpected gift: It detected a solar eruption, a common occurrence called a coronal mass ejection, where the Sun expels large quantities of magnetized plasma. See the Psyche spacecraft in 3D on NASA's Eyes on the Solar System The information could help us better understand how our own planet formed. Evidence that the asteroid once had a magnetic field would be a strong indication that the body is a partial core of a planetesimal, a building block of an early planet. Solar SurpriseĮarlier in the mission, in late October, the team powered on the magnetometer, which will provide crucial data to help determine how the asteroid formed. The imager team will also use the data to create 3D maps of the asteroid to better understand its geology, which will give clues about Psyche’s history. With the filters, the team will use photographs in wavelengths of light both visible and invisible to the human eye to help determine the composition of the metal-rich asteroid Psyche. The imager takes pictures through multiple color filters, all of which were tested in these initial observations. We look forward to sharing all of these visuals with the public.” And finally, in 2029 we’ll get our most exciting images yet – of our target asteroid Psyche. We start checking out the cameras with star images like these, then in 2026 we’ll take test images of Mars during the spacecraft’s flyby. “For the team that designed and operates this sophisticated instrument, first light is a thrill. “These initial images are only a curtain-opener,” said Arizona State University’s Jim Bell, the Psyche imager instrument lead.
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