NASA moves up trip to metal asteroid"The change in plans is a great boost for the team and the mission," said Henry Stone, mission manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.By Brooks Hays | May 24, 2017 at 3:12 PM 
The illustration shows the Psyche probe circling its target, a metal asteroid that scientists believe is a protoplanetary core stripped of its crust. Photo by SSL/ASU/P. Rubin/NASA/JPL-Caltech
May 24 (UPI) -- The launch date of Psyche, one of NASA's two newest Discovery Program missions, has been moved forward a year to take advantage of a more efficient trajectory. The craft will launch in the summer of 2022 and -- with the help of a gravity assist from Mars in 2023 -- will arrive at its target in 2026.
The metal asteroid Psyche is the mission's target. Astronomers believe the iron orb is the leftover core from a protoplanet that lost its crust in a collision during the solar system's earliest days. Data gathered by Psyche will help scientists better understand planet formation and the composition of planetary cores.
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http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2017/05/24/NASA-moves-up-trip-to-metal-asteroid/8041495649679/
