SpaceX Launching Historic Mission To Find Ancient Planet
While the Earth continues to plunge into absolute chaos with a slew of incredibly damaging and dangerous wars now in effect, NASA and SpaceX are preparing to continue with their mission of reaching a gigantic metal asteroid known as Psyche.
Set to be carried out by a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket, the mission could count down to blast off as soon as tomorrow. The vessel’s final stop will be in the vastness of the asteroid belt located between Mars and Jupiter.
NASA and SpaceX are preparing to continue with the mission of reaching a gigantic metal asteroid known as Psyche
According to The Byte, SpaceX’s rocket (aptly and possibly confusingly named Psyche) will set out to learn more about the metal asteroid. A creation of Elon Musk’s company, the rocket will dive into the mystery surrounding the asteroid which is thought to be what’s left of a core of some sort of ancient planetary object.
Should the mission uncover all that scientists and researchers are hoping for, it could mark a momentous occasion and milestone for how we understand our very own solar system.
In addition to gaining better knowledge of the solar system as a whole, the SpaceX rocket also stands to gather information about Earth as it shares metallic-core similarities to Psyche. This would, in turn, give researchers a much clearer picture and view of how Earth came to form into the life-giving planet that we now live on.
As Lindy Elkins-Tanton, the mission’s leading investigator and Arizona State University professor explained, without a mission like this one, there will be no understanding of Earth’s core as they’re “too hot” and “too deep.”
But, don’t get too excited to unravel the mysteries of the universe just yet. Even with all the brains at NASA and SpaceX backing the rocket’s journey, it’s likely that the vessel won’t even reach the gigantic asteroid until 2029, meaning that it has a whopping six-year journey ahead of it.
It’s likely that the SpaceX vessel won’t even reach the gigantic asteroid until 2029
From there, the ship’s main study method will come from orbiting Psyche for two full years, snapping images and getting them back to researchers on Earth.
From what we understand of Psyche and its composition, researchers believe that the asteroid is somewhere between 30 and 60 percent metal while the rest is formed of silicate. Setting itself apart from other space rocks, others are primarily composed of clay and silicate rock.
And, even though this is a scientific mission between NASA and SpaceX, the metal within the asteroid is already catching the eye of some of the world’s wealthiest people who hope to nab a cut of Psyche for their own collection.
While SpaceX may be putting its best foot forward and trying to make a difference in the world and even the universe, the sheer fact that it’s owned by the divisive Elon Musk is enough for some to doubt the legitimacy of its efforts.
From Tesla to X (formerly known as Twitter), the inventor has had his fair share of shake-ups in the business world which is why we’re wishing all the best for Psyche and its expedition. Now, we’ll just need to wait six years to see how it all turns out.
