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00:02 There aren't many classes of objects left in our solar system
00:07 that we haven't looked at up close with a spacecraft.
00:10 And one of them that's left is the metal asteroids.
00:15 16 Psyche is an asteroid that orbits the sun out between Mars and Jupiter.
00:20 The reason that Psyche is unique is that it is metal-rich.
00:24 It's believed that it may be a remnant core of an early planetesimal
00:29 that was formed in the very, very earliest parts of the formation of the solar system.
00:33 And after this planet started forming and this metal core formed inside of that,
00:37 it collided with other bodies that then stripped off the rocky mantle,
00:41 leaving this core in place.
00:44 This is the part of planets that we can't sample directly today.
00:49 It's too hot. The pressure's too high. Our instruments would melt.
00:52 Can't drill a hole that deep in the Earth or other planets.
00:55 So how do we study the core of our planet?
00:58 Psyche gives us the opportunity to visit a core the only way that humankind can ever do.
01:03 And it would be the first metal object that humankind has ever visited.
01:07 After launch, we cruise through interplanetary space for a number of years.
01:15 First, we fly by Mars for a gravity assist that'll slingshot us into the asteroid belt.
01:21 And then we're thrusting all the way from there to finally arriving at Psyche.
01:27 We'll go into four orbits to collect the necessary measurements that we need from our three primary instruments.
01:34 So our payload consists of a couple of imagers, which are cameras that take pictures of Psyche.
01:40 Also a gamma-ray neutron spectrometer, which allows us to measure the elemental composition of the surface of Psyche.
01:45 And then a magnetometer, which will allow us to detect any magnetic field that's left at Psyche.
01:50 If Psyche still has some sort of remnant magnetic field, that probably tells us it really was a core.
01:56 It's a strong indicator.
01:58 We also use the radio on the spacecraft as an instrument.
02:01 So we can map out the gravity and map out the interior structure that way.
02:05 We're using a particular thruster technology, Hall Effect thruster technology.
02:11 They operate five times more efficiently than normal rockets, so they use a lot less fuel.
02:15 And it's what allows us to get into orbit around this asteroid.
02:18 Solar electric propulsion has been around for quite a while, and it has flown before, but we are continuing to push the boundaries.
02:25 We're going to have big five-panel fold-out solar panels that will provide the electricity for the thrusters,
02:32 which use as propellant the noble gas xenon.
02:36 This will be the first time that Hall Effect thrusters have flown in deep space.
02:39 Studying the evolution of a planetary body is a detective story.
02:46 There's a magic to when you actually are on the launch pad and you say, "We're go for launch."
02:51 And you feel like singing and dancing, and you feel like throwing up at the same time.
02:55 Let's go discover things about our solar system that we have no other way to do.
02:59 I think that it's fundamental to who we are and also who we should be.
03:03 It's an incredible opportunity to be a part of the team making that happen.
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