Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5

NASA's Psyche spacecraft looks astonishing assembled for the first time (vehicles)

#1
C C Offline
https://www.slashgear.com/790530/nasas-p...irst-time/

INTRO: NASA is getting ready to launch a spacecraft to visit a one of a kind target: the famous Psyche, a metal asteroid 140 miles across which has been claimed to be worth quintillions of dollars. NASA isn't visiting it for the money, though – the agency hopes to learn more about the early solar system and how this strange chunk of mostly metal came to be orbiting around our sun.

[...] The spacecraft's massive solar arrays will harness energy from the sun to provide power for the craft as it travels on its lonely journey through space, which will take three and a half years. The twin arrays cover a massive area of 800 square feet, or 75 square meters, which are the largest which have ever been installed at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the location where robotic explorers like the Mars Perseverance rover are built.

"Seeing the spacecraft fully assembled for the first time is a huge accomplishment; there's a lot of pride," said Brian Bone, who leads assembly, test, and launch operations for the mission at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. "This is the true fun part. You're feeling it all come together. You feel the energy change and shift."

One problem with solar powered space travel is that the further you get from the sun, the less energy you have available to you. So these arrays can generate 21 kilowatts of energy near Earth, which could power several homes, but by the time they reach their destination they'll only produce around 2 kilowatts. So engineers had to design the arrays accordingly... (MORE - missing details)

https://youtu.be/fh6DlEFjR1M

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/fh6DlEFjR1M
Reply


Possibly Related Threads…
Thread Author Replies Views Last Post
  Article NASA still confident SpaceX's Starship can land astronauts on Moon in 2025 (vehicles) C C 0 68 Apr 30, 2023 02:42 AM
Last Post: C C
  First-ever sound recording of dust devils on Mars (vehicles: Perseverance rover) C C 0 181 Dec 14, 2022 01:43 AM
Last Post: C C
  1971: The 1st soft landing on Mars, via Soviet spacecraft (travel) C C 0 228 Aug 7, 2022 08:26 PM
Last Post: C C
  Blame Congress for ludicrous cost of NASA's SLS & Orion (vehicles, travel) C C 0 51 Mar 2, 2022 08:21 AM
Last Post: C C
  Cal to ban sale of gasoline powered cars + Orion spacecraft's stink: New space toilet C C 8 531 Sep 26, 2020 06:42 PM
Last Post: Secular Sanity
  Nasa CubeSats disappear after flying past Mars (travel, vehicles) C C 0 460 Feb 6, 2019 07:19 PM
Last Post: C C
  InSight spacecraft on its way to Mars + Canada needs charging stations for e-cars C C 0 335 May 4, 2018 08:21 PM
Last Post: C C



Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)