NASA spacecraft beams back blue images of Mars on its way to a metal asteroid — Space photo of the week
NASA's Psyche spacecraft has successfully captured blue images of Mars during its flyby as it heads towards the metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche. The spacecraft took a series of color images, including a close-up of the Huygens crater and the southern highlands of Mars. This flyby not only provided stunning visuals but also increased Psyche's speed and adjusted its orbital plane for its journey ahead.
- ▪NASA's Psyche spacecraft passed within 2,864 miles of Mars on May 15, 2026.
- ▪The spacecraft captured thousands of images to calibrate its multispectral cameras before reaching asteroid 16 Psyche.
- ▪The flyby increased Psyche's speed by approximately 1,000 mph and shifted its orbital plane by about 1 degree.
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Space Astronomy Planets Mars NASA spacecraft beams back blue images of Mars on its way to a metal asteroid — Space photo of the week On its way to a metal asteroid, NASA's Psyche probe tested its cameras as it got a gravity assist from the Red Planet. By Jamie Carter published 24 May 2026 in Features When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Psyche imaged Mars' southern highlands, including the Huygens crater (upper right) (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ASU) Copy link Facebook X Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Subscribe to our newsletter Quick factsWhat it is: MarsWhere it is: 2.2 astronomical units (Earth-sun distances)When it was…
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