NASA’s Psyche asteroid mission delivers 1st images
In 8 weeks since it left Earth on October 13, the orbiter has performed one successful operation after another
image for illustrative purpose
Washington: NASA's Psyche spacecraft, which lifted off in October in search of gold, diamond on an asteroid, has retrieved the first images -- a milestone called "first light", the US space agency announced on Wednesday.
In the eight weeks since it left Earth on October 13, the orbiter has performed one successful operation after another, powering on scientific instruments, streaming data toward home, and setting a deep-space record with its electric thrusters. On December 4, the mission turned on Psyche's twin cameras and retrieved the first images.
The imager instrument, which consists of a pair of identical cameras, captured a total of 68 images, all within a star field in the constellation Pisces.
The imager team is using the data to verify proper commanding, telemetry analysis, and calibration of the images.
"These initial images are only a curtain-opener," said Jim Bell, instrument lead of the Psyche imager at Arizona State University.
"For the team that designed and operates this sophisticated instrument, first light is a thrill.
"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. And finally, in 2029 we’ll get our most exciting images yet -- of our target asteroid Psyche," Bell said. The imager takes pictures through multiple colour filters, all of which were tested in these initial observations.
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.
