Psyche spacecraft’s sci-fi thrusters suffer glitch on way to metal-rich asteroid
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The artist’s impression of the psychological spacecraft. | Credit
On Tuesday (April 29), NASA announced that its psychological probe had a setback related to the payment system, while approximately 150 million miles (238 million km) of our planet. The solar -colored craft of solar color is directed to the strange object that has been called: 16 Psyche, the asteroid that seems to have an unusually high metal content.
Complications surround a “decrease in fuel pressure” inside PsycheNASA says the preparation of electricity for solar energy, which prompted the team to operate the defenses until a solution is established. However, the agency also confirms that these defenses can remain out until at least mid -June before concerns about the Psyche path arose towards its asteroid target. “The mission team chose to postpone the payment while the engineers are working to understand the low pressure,” NASA said. statement. “The electrical payment system has two lines of identical fuel, and the team may decide to shift to the fuel line to resume the payment.”
Like the probe itself, the self -payment system burns new paths. This is the first time, The mission team saysThis specific mechanism for pressure across space was used in a probe beyond the moon Orst.
In essence, the sunlight collected with large solar sects from Psyche is converted into electricity, which increases the four defenses of the spacecraft. Once you run enough sunscreen, defenses-called “Hall hall”-used electromagnetic fields to expel xenon gas stored in the tanks on board the spacecraft.
In addition to giving great psychological defender Blue neon Glow, this expulsion xenon creates a nice push to move the spacecraft – nice enough to practice “the same amount of pressure that you feel is carrying three quarters in your hand”, NASA He said. However, the point is that this precise orientation to build momentum over time, which is especially easy to do in the space vacuum. All the time, any fuel will hardly be used, which means that the soul is very effective and light.
“With no traction in the atmosphere to return it, the spacecraft will ultimately accelerate speeds of up to 124,000 miles per hour (200,000 km per hour) for the Earth,” explains NASA.
In contrast, NASA says traditional chemical payment would have required psychological mobilization with additional fuel 15 times before it was It was released into space On October 13, 2023.
Defenses that resemble a blue -plastic science fiction from the psychological spacecraft. | Credit
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Regarding the issue currently facing Psychhe, it is about the way the xenon gas is fed in the defenses to expel.
“On April 1, the spacecraft discovered a decrease in the line in the line that nourishes the xenon gas to the defenses, and moved from 36 pounds per square inch (PSI) to about 26 pounds,” NASA said in the last statement.
We will likely know more about whether the backup line will be used, or whether the original line improves its condition, in the coming weeks. We hope that the soul will bounce into full health so that you can investigate many of the secrets of 16 psychologists. One of the largest is whether the asteroid is truly full of minerals of great value (minerals that we can be able to.), It is naked The essence of the planets, Or just a hovercrane Random rubble.
The next main teacher of the mission road is located in the spring of 2026, when Psyche flies Mars The tide used the gravitational islands for the red planet to revise itself towards the main asteroid belt. If everything is planning, we will get a peek at 16 psychologists in 2029.