NASA’s Psyche spacecraft flew close to Mars on May 15, 2026. It took many pictures during its visit. The spacecraft came from the side of Mars that faces away from the Sun. This made Mars look like a thin crescent.
The images showed the thin atmosphere of Mars. Sunlight shone through clouds of dust above the planet’s surface. Jim Bell from Arizona State University said the cameras took thousands of images. These pictures will help scientists understand how the cameras work.
Psyche’s magnetometer detected solar wind effects in Mars’ atmosphere. Its spectrometers measured the chemical makeup of the Martian surface below.
Other missions are looking at Mars all the time. This means there may not be big new discoveries from Psyche. However, scientists can compare Psyche’s data with information from other missions.
The Psyche mission will focus on an asteroid named Psyche in three years. This asteroid is rich in metals like iron and nickel. The spacecraft will study it for a long time, much longer than its quick visit to Mars.
