Anonymousabout 3 hours ago
NASA's Psyche spacecraft will fly within 4,500 kilometers of Mars on May 15, 2026, using the planet's gravity to gain approximately 6,600 mph and redirect its trajectory toward the metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche — a maneuver that saves fuel but leaves no margin for a second attempt. The mission, already delayed a year by software failures and institutional problems at JPL that triggered $159 million in cumulative cost overruns, now hinges on this flyby to reach its target by 2029, where scientists hope to resolve a fundamental debate about whether the asteroid is truly an exposed planetary core or something far less dramatic.