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On December 4, the cameras of NASA’s Psyche spacecraft took their first pictures 26 million kilometers from Earth. This remarkable event, known as “first light,” is one of many that the agency needs to complete on its way to its destination, a metallic asteroid called 16 Psyche. The spacecraft is set to reach this asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter in 2029.
Psyche was launched on October 13 on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. A few hours after launch, the spaceship entered the first phase of the test, scheduled to last about 100 days, during which it will be tested. The aircraft’s equipment and systems are tested to ensure that they are working as designed. Testing the spacecraft’s cameras is the latest step in this phase to be completed.
Psyche’s “first light”.
The first image from Psyche shows stars in the constellation of Pisces, which the spacecraft’s Multispectral Imager instrument pointed to when it first turned on eat The instrument’s two identical cameras captured a single image, all of which were stitched together to form a single image.
Mosaic of Psyche first illuminated image, showing a star in the constellation Pisces. The image shows raw, unclassified information. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU)
“These first images are just a curtain-raiser,” said Psyche imager instrument leader Jim Bell of Arizona State University. “For the team that designed and used this special instrument, the first light is a joy. To start checking similar photo cameras, then by 2026 we will su images of Mars as the spacecraft fly by. And finally, in 2029, we will get our most interesting images – our target asteroid Psyche. We look forward to sharing all these images visible to the public.
The team took 68 photos to test and analyze the device and its filters. These filters allow scientists to observe 16 Psyche in different wavelengths of light and analyze the composition of the asteroid’s surface. In addition, they will use the cameras to study the geography and history of Psyche by creating a 3D map of the asteroid. .
Psyche’s Multispectral Imager instrument provides scientific imaging and serves as a low-cost imaging tool. The spacecraft is equipped with a pair of cameras to provide redundancy for these important tasks.
The full picture can be found here.
A detailed description of the same image and star rating can be found here.
Laser communication model
Earlier, on November 14, the team achieved another impressive feat when they tested the Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) prototype. This model is designed to demonstrate special communication using near-infrared lasers in deep space. Although this technology has been used in space before, this is the first test to use optical communication beyond the Moon.
To test this experiment, NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) used a laser pointer to send a signal to Psyche, which the spacecraft locked on to and used to use its laser in a critical vision on the world. The great distance between the spacecraft and the Earth – 16 million kilometers during the test – means that the spacecraft must be able to precisely target its laser. As an added challenge, teams must calculate the distance Psyche traveled when the signal was taken to cross the space.
If DSOC can demonstrate reliable communication, future missions could use this technology to send and receive more information to the unit of the compared to radio communication. NASA expects that DSOC can increase the transmission by 10 to 100 times now.
“Special communication is a boon for scientists and explorers who still need more from their space missions, and it will enable deep space explorers,” said Dr. Jason Mitchell, director of the Advanced Communications and Navigation Technologies Division within NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation program. “More information means more research.”
Although Psyche did not use the DSOC test to broadcast mission data, DSOC and the Psyche team must work together to ensure that the test does not interfere with the spacecraft’s operations. “It’s a huge challenge, and we have a lot of work to do, but for a short period of time, we were able to spread, find, and sort some information,” said Meera Srinivasan, chief of operations for DSOC in the JPL.
Other tests and tools
The DSOC model is not the only remote data acquisition by the spacecraft. When the crew fired two of the electric Hall-effect thrusters on November 8, it was the first time this type of thruster had been used beyond orbit. the moon.
Besides the Multispectral Imager instrument and the DSOC probe, Psyche carries three other scientific instruments. The spacecraft’s magnetometer will measure the asteroid’s magnetic field, the Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer (GRNS) will allow scientists to determine the asteroid’s elemental composition, and finally, the the X-band radio communication system will also be in charge of measuring the asteroid’s. gravity field.
Shortly after Psyche’s magnetometer went live in late October, it detected a magnetic signal caused by a solar flare. Not only did it show that the instrument worked and it was able to detect small magnetic fields but it also confirmed that the spacecraft itself did not generate magnetic fields that would interfere with observation. The latter cannot be confirmed on Earth because of the planet’s magnetism.
Between Nov. 6 and Nov. 27, the gamma-ray spectrometer of the GRNS was turned on to collect data for the first time since launch. “(The data) shows us that we have the most advanced equipment, and that will allow us to improve the calculations about how sensitive we will be when we get to Psyche,” said Psyche Gamma-Ray Spectrometer study leader David Lawrence of The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
Next, the teams plan to test GRNS’s neutron spectrometer during the week of December 11.
(Lead photo: Model of NASA’s Psyche spacecraft and asteroid 16 Psyche. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU)