NASA Mission Captures Stunning View Of Huygens Crater On Mars

way2barak May 21: NASA’s Psyche mission caught a striking view of Mars last week as it swung past the Red Planet for a speed boost toward its ultimate destination in the asteroid belt. When it completed its close approach, the spacecraft came within 2,864 miles (4,609 kilometres) of the planet’s surface. Huygens crater and a view of crescent Mars against black space were among the pictures it took. “Although we were confident in our calculations and flight plan, monitoring the DSN’s Doppler signal in real time during the flyby was still exciting,” Don Han, Psyche’s navigation lead at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, said as quoted by NASA.

“We’ve confirmed that Mars gave the spacecraft a 1,000-mile-per-hour boost and shifted its orbital plane by about 1 degree relative to the Sun. We are now on course for arrival at the asteroid Psyche in summer 2029.”

Huygens, a massive double-ring impact crater in the southern highlands, is visible in an amazing light. The crater spans about 290 miles (470 km) across and is one of Mars’ largest impact structures. Psyche’s shot also covers the surrounding southern highlands, a heavily cratered region near 15 degrees south latitude.