Nasa's Psyche spacecraft swings by Mars en route to metal-rich asteroid; see pics

NEW DELHI: NASA’s Psyche spacecraft has pulled off a dramatic flyby of Mars, capturing striking close-up views of the Red Planet, including the massive Huygens Crater, as it slingshots deeper into the solar system on its billion-mile journey to a mysterious metal-rich asteroid.The spacecraft swept just 4,609 kilometres above Mars on May 15, using the planet’s gravity like a cosmic catapult to gain speed without burning additional fuel. NASA said the manoeuvre boosted Psyche’s velocity by nearly 1,000 miles per hour and nudged its orbital path toward the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.But the flyby was more than a technical pit stop.As Psyche approached Mars from an unusual angle, the planet appeared as a glowing crescent wrapped in dusty sunlight. Its onboard cameras snapped thousands of images of the Martian surface and atmosphere, offering a rare perspective even seasoned space scientists found remarkable.Among the standout visuals was Huygens Crater, a giant scar on Mars named after Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens. The images were captured as the spacecraft crossed from the planet’s night side into daylight during its closest approach.NASA scientists say the encounter also served as a full dress rehearsal for Psyche’s main mission. Every major instrument aboard the spacecraft, including imagers, magnetometers and radiation detectors, was activated and tested during the Mars pass.The spacecraft is ultimately headed toward asteroid Psyche, a bizarre object believed to be the exposed metallic core of an ancient failed planet. Scientists hope studying it could offer an unprecedented glimpse into what lies deep beneath rocky worlds like Earth.Now with Mars fading in the rear-view mirror, Psyche is back on course for its historic rendezvous with the asteroid in 2029.