Out-of-this-world experts discuss NASA's upcoming Psyche Mission. In October 2023, NASA’s Psyche Mission is slated to launch toward a unique asteroid that may hold the secrets of Earth’s own formation. Comprised of metal rather than rock or ice, the asteroid Psyche offers a rare look at the building blocks of planet formation—a topic that scientists have literally only been able to scratch the surface of due to the immense depths of our planet’s metallic core. Part of NASA’s Discovery Program focused on planetary science, the Psyche spacecraft will take its six-year journey to the asteroid belt via solar-electric propulsion following a Mars flyby and gravity-assist. Upon arrival, it will study the asteroid through a series of experiments including characterization, topography, gravity science, and elemental mapping from four staging orbits. Hear from experts about this upcoming, out-of-this-world mission in this month's Astro Live! Participants: Lindy Elkins-Tanton, Principal Investigator Dan Wait, Post-Launch Mission Manager Moderator: Summer Ash has been both a rocket scientist and an astrophysicist. She is a freelance science writer and communicator whose work has been published in The Atlantic, NBC News, Smithsonian, Now.Space, Scientific American, Slate, and Nautilus. Host Host: John “Das” Galloway is a science outreach communicator who specializes in live, interactive video content. He is the creator of the Kerbal Space Academy, where he uses video games as a tool to start science and engineering conversations with viewers of all ages, and VECTORS Virtual Field Trips, which brings real-time interactive video to museums, events, and historical locations.
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