![]() This led the researchers to conclude that Psyche is likely a metallic body. Similarly flat spectra have been found in laboratory settings when mid-infrared instruments are used on metal objects. The team observed that Psyche’s emissivity data was mostly flat, meaning there were no spikes or other notable features in its spectra – that is, a chart or a graph that shows the intensity of light the asteroid emits over a range of energies. Both characteristics can provide clues about the materials that make up an object. They measured its emissivity(the amount of energy it radiates) and porosity (how many tiny holes or spaces an object has). Researchers used a mid-infrared camera, which detects wavelengths in the middle of the electromagnetic spectrum, to observe the asteroid. The Ames team studied the way different wavelengths of light bounce off Psyche. It also allowed the team to collect data about the materials that make up Psyche’s surface – information that could not be gathered from ground-based telescopes. As a flying telescope, SOFIA collected data that was not affected by Earth’s lower atmosphere and made observations from all over the world, including over the oceans.įor the first time, SOFIA was able to gather data from every part of Psyche’s surface. The now-retired observatory was a Boeing 747SP aircraft modified to carry a reflecting telescope. 2022 using NASA’s Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA). JPL, which is managed for NASA by Caltech in Pasadena, California, built and manages operations of the Perseverance rover.Led by Anicia Arredondo, the paper’s first author and a postdoctoral researcher at the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, and Maggie McAdam, Ames research scientist and principal investigator, the team observed Psyche in Feb. The Mars 2020 Perseverance mission is part of NASA's Moon to Mars exploration approach, which includes Artemis missions to the Moon that will help prepare for human exploration of the Red Planet. Subsequent NASA missions, in cooperation with ESA (European Space Agency), would send spacecraft to Mars to collect these sealed samples from the surface and return them to Earth for in-depth analysis. The rover will characterize the planet’s geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust). So Perseverance and its fellow NASA Mars rover Curiosity routinely monitor in all directions for them, taking images in black-and-white to reduce the amount of data sent to Earth.Ī key objective for Perseverance’s mission on Mars is astrobiology, including the search for signs of ancient microbial life. And while they are most prominent during the spring and summer months (Mars’ northern hemisphere, where Perseverance is located, is currently in summer), scientists can’t predict when they’ll appear at a specific location. The Martian versions can grow to be much larger than those found on Earth. If this dust devil were configured that way, its shadow would indicate it is about 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) in height.”ĭust devils, which occur on Earth as well, form when rising cells of warm air mix with descending columns of cooler air. “We don’t see the top of the dust devil, but the shadow it throws gives us a good indication of its height,” said Mark Lemmon, a planetary scientist at the Space Science Institute in Boulder, Colorado, and a member of the Perseverance science team. ![]() And while only the bottom 387 feet (118 meters) of the swirling vortex are visible in the camera frame, the scientists could also estimate its full height. They calculated its width to be about 200 feet (60 meters). Using data from the imagery, mission scientists determined that this particular dust devil was about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) away, at a location nicknamed “Thorofare Ridge,” and moving east to west at about 12 mph (19 kph). Scientists study them to better understand the Martian atmosphere and improve their weather models. Much weaker and generally smaller than Earth’s tornadoes, dust devils are one of the mechanisms that move and redistribute dust around Mars. ![]() The video, which was sped up 20 times, is composed of 21 frames taken four seconds apart by one of the rover’s Navcams. ![]() 30, 2023, the 899th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. The lower portion of a Martian dust devil was captured moving along the western rim of Mars’ Jezero Crater by NASA’s Perseverance rover on Aug. The six-wheeled geologist spotted the twister as part of an atmospheric exploration of Jezero Crater.
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