California –
NASA officially began assembling an airplane which was called Psyche. The plane will be visiting asteroid of the same name, 16 Pshyce, which is believed to be the most valuable space rock so far.
Asteroid Psyche is believed to be worth around USD 10 quintillion. Why is it so valuable? 16 This psyche is apparently very rich in iron and nickel. It is in the asteroid belt between the planets Mars and Jupiter. With a diameter of about 226 kilometers, this asteroid could be a dead planet that lost its outer layer.
NASA wanted to know what the surface was like, how old it was and prove whether 16 Psyche was really the core of the early planet and whether it was similar to the core of the Earth.
Quoted detikINET from Independent, NASA posted photos and videos of the aircraft assembled at the Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. The process takes about a year and will be delivered to the Cape Canaveral rocket ground in Florida, where the scheduled launch is August 2022.
The skeleton of the aircraft is called Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) which is a key component. It is about the size of a van, with two giant antennas and various research instruments.
“I am very proud of this team. We were able to design that aircraft for trips very far to asteroid while still prioritizing team health and safety in today’s global pandemic, “said Steven Scott, co-author of Maxar Technologies.
To reach the asteroid Psyche 16, it will cover a distance of about 179.5 million kilometers. He will research for 21 months. The asteroid is about a quarter of the size of the UK, becoming one of the largest asteroids in the asteroid belt.
Although very valuable, mining asteroid is a difficult matter that may not be done with current technology. Moreover, if the material is transported to Earth, the value could even drop due to excessive supply. So it’s a new NASA target to research it.
Watch Video “NASA Ensures Earth Safe from Apophis Astereoid Impact“
[Gambas:Video 20detik]
(fyk / fay)
– .
