Unlocking The Mysteries of Psyche: NASA's Bold Journey to an Enigmatic Metal World

Join CNNs Wonder Theory science newsletter to stay updated on the latest discoveries, groundbreaking scientific advancements, and more. Excitingly, NASAs upcoming mission will venture into an enigmatic world primarily composed of metal instead of the usual rock or ice.

The Psyche mission is scheduled to launch on Friday at 10:19 a.m. ET from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket. If successful, Psyche will be the inaugural NASA science mission to utilize the Falcon Heavy rocket. NASA is providing a live stream of the launch.

The current weather forecast shows an 85% chance of favorable conditions for the launch. The mission, named after the 16 Psyche asteroid it will study, is scheduled to travel approximately 2.2 billion miles (3.6 billion kilometers) over the course of the next six years. David Oh, Psyche's chief engineer for operations at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, stated that the mission will aim to reach this space rock situated in the outer region of the primary asteroid belt, between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

"Were embarking on a groundbreaking mission to explore an object that has never before been studied up close," stated Lindy Elkins-Tanton, the Psyche principal investigator and a foundation and regents professor at the School of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University. "This will mark our inaugural voyage to a world with a unique metallic surface. The number of uncharted worlds of this kind within our solar system is remarkably limited, making it all the more thrilling."

This illustration depicts the NASA spacecraft once it goes into orbit around the asteroid 16 Psyche.

NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU

Scientists believe that the large metallic asteroid, known as M-type, could possibly be the bare core of a protoplanet from the early stages of our solar system. This core is speculated to resemble the cores found within rocky planets like Earth, Mars, Venus, and Mercury. The exposure of this core is thought to have occurred due to intense collisions with other rocky objects during the formation of the solar system.

Past observations of Psyche, carried out by both ground-based and space-based telescopes, have primarily focused on measuring the radiation that is reflected off the asteroid's metal surface. By combining these observations, scientists have been able to construct a model that estimates the size of Psyche to be similar to that of Massachusetts (excluding Cape Cod), with a surface area comparable to that of California. Dr. Elkins-Tanton provides this information.

However, despite utilizing the Hubble Space Telescope, Psyche is only visible as a few pixels.

The long road to Psyche

The Psyche mission, originally scheduled to launch in October 2022, has faced its share of delays.

Due to time constraints last year, a thorough examination of the spacecraft's flight software could not be completed before the 11-week launch window closed. As a result, this year's launch window was postponed from October 5 to October 12. The purpose of this delay was to provide engineers with sufficient time to adjust the temperature limits of the spacecraft's nitrogen cold gas thrusters, which are responsible for orienting it in space.

Henry Stone, Psyche project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, emphasized the significance of addressing this issue, stating, "There was a significant risk of overheating the thrusters, making it a critical matter that required immediate attention and due diligence."

Once Psyche soars into the sky, the Falcon Heavy rocket will ignite, propelling the spacecraft into the initial phase of its extensive odyssey through the cosmos. Shortly afterwards, the side boosters of Falcon Heavy will touch down at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, potentially generating a resounding sonic boom that will reverberate throughout the local community. These boosters will be strategically repurposed for forthcoming missions.

The OSIRIS-REx sample collector showcases a glimpse of the exterior, with a noticeable presence of sample material from asteroid Bennu on the upper right side. Preliminary analysis of this material has indicated the existence of both carbon and water. The majority of the sample is situated within the collector.

NASA has announced that an extraordinary asteroid sample houses essential elements in a groundbreaking disclosure. Subsequently, during their expedition in space, the team will dedicate three to four months to conducting preliminary assessments of the spacecraft and its instruments.

To complete the remainder of the mission, the spacecraft, which is the size of a van, will depend on its innovative solar electric propulsion technology. This system, powered by Hall-effect thrusters, will make use of the spacecraft's expansive solar arrays. By employing electricity to ionize xenon gas and noble gas, the thrusters will propel the charged ions through an electric field at incredibly high velocities. As a result, the spacecraft will attain a speed five times greater than that achieved by conventional chemical rockets.

In May 2026, the Psyche spacecraft will reach Mars and utilize the planet's gravity to redirect its path towards Psyche. By late July 2029, the mission will arrive at the asteroid and spend 26 months in orbit, conducting surface mapping, capturing images, and investigating whether Psyche possesses a metallic core. Throughout its exploration, the spacecraft will navigate varying orbits around the asteroid, ranging from a distance of 440 miles (708 kilometers) to a mere 40 miles (64 kilometers) above its surface. As soon as the spacecraft detects the asteroid, the imagers of the Psyche mission will initiate the transmission of data to Earth.

Accompanying the expedition is the Deep Space Optical Communications technology demonstration, or DSOC, which will take place during the initial two years of the voyage to Psyche. This venture stands as NASA's most remote experiment in high-bandwidth laser communications, assessing the transmission and reception of data between Earth and the spacecraft through an invisible near-infrared laser.

Compared to the conventional radio wave systems employed by NASA in other missions, the laser has the capability to transmit data at a speed ten to a hundred times faster. Should the technology demonstration prove fruitful, DSOC may eventually serve as a means of communication with the human explorers on Mars.

Exploring the Mysteries of a Metallic Planet

By utilizing the spacecraft's advanced instruments, scientists aim to unravel the secrets held within the chemical and mineral composition, topography, mass, gravitational field, and rotation of the asteroid. Moreover, the mission's magnetometer will strive to identify any traces of a magnetic field encircling Psyche, potentially indicating its origins as a planetary core.

Psyche, with its high density, consists primarily of iron and nickel, accompanied by an unknown substance, possibly rock, sulfur, or carbon-based elements, as suggested by Elkins-Tanton.

If Psyche does not belong to the core category, it could potentially be an extraordinary remnant from the early stages of the solar system formation, which has yet to be discovered.

Psyche, as hypothesized but never found, is believed to be a primordial body that originated from the earliest materials in the solar system. Formed through the gravitational pull of these materials, it has remained in its original state since. According to Ben Weiss, Psyche's deputy principal investigator and leader of the magnetometer team, it is possible that Psyche was initially located near the sun and gradually transformed into a metallic object as oxygen atoms were stripped away from iron atoms.

Mysterious planet-like objects can be seen for the first time in this image of the inner Orion Nebula and Trapezium Cluster.

NASA/ESA/CSA

Unprecedented discovery seems to defy fundamental astronomical theories

The science team is excited to observe the surface characteristics of the asteroid. Radar data suggests the presence of two significant craters on the surface. However, the appearance of a metal crater is a subject of curiosity. Elkins-Tanton speculates that Psyche might exhibit metallic spikes, spires, and even minuscule fragments resembling a kind of metal sand within the crater. Additionally, there is a possibility that Psyche underwent volcanic eruptions, resulting in the formation of massive cliffs and greenish-yellow lava flows due to their sulfur content.

"We have put forward this scientifically driven hypothesis, but it is highly likely that we are completely mistaken," stated Elkins-Tanton. "The actual findings upon arrival will undoubtedly catch us off guard. I strongly believe that it will exceed our wildest imaginations, and that is what I am most hopeful for."