NASA shares stunning timelapse of Psyche spacecraft's Mars flyby
NASA has released a timelapse video of the Psyche spacecraft's Mars flyby in May, compiled from thousands of images showing the planet's crescent, surface features, and icy south pole.
NASA has shared a captivating timelapse video captured by the Psyche spacecraft as it performed a close approach to Mars in May. The spacecraft, en route to the asteroid Psyche in the main asteroid belt, used Mars' gravity to gain a speed boost and adjust its trajectory.
The video, created from thousands of images taken by the multispectral imager, shows the spacecraft's approach, revealing Mars as a crescent, then detailed surface views, and finally the icy south pole as the craft moved away.
According to Jim Bell, lead of the Psyche imager instrument at Arizona State University, the imager performed brilliantly, offering rare views of the red planet. The team was able to fully test its calibration and sensitivity to scattered light, and even captured the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos from a great distance as practice for searching for moonlets around asteroid Psyche.
The spacecraft began its approach on May 2 and made its closest pass on May 15. The gravity assist maneuver saved propellant and set Psyche on course for its destination, which it is expected to reach in 2029.
