Did you know there was a world between Mars and Jupiter called Psyche?
Meet Psyche
On October 5, 2023 an Orbiter, also named Psyche, was launched on a 4 year trip to reach the Psyche asteroid.
The Psyche mission will test a sophisticated new photon laser technology to communicate between the deep space probe and Earth.
This will be a first for mankind, exploring a new type of world made of metal, not rock and ice.
Scientists have to infer the presence of metallic cores on Earth, because they lie unreachably far below our planets’ rocky mantles and crusts.
But, because we cannot see or measure Earth’s core directly, we can study Psyche for clues about our own planets composition.
Psyche offers a unique window into the violent history of collisions and accretion that created terrestrial planets.
Psyche was discovered in 1852 by Italian astronomer Annibale de Gasparis, who named it for the goddess of the soul in ancient Greek mythology.
Psyche has an approximate diameter of 140 miles or about the length of Massachusetts without Cape Cod.
You can follow the ongoing mission at nasa.gov/psyche
Footage credit: NASA
Script and Editing: Jef Gray
Production: International Peace and Film Festival
