1. Exploring 16 Psyche: Psyche Orbiter
Kenneth Jops, Carter Robinson
and Joshua Schwartz-Dodek

2. 16 Psyche 11th most massive asteroid
Psyche is M-Type, metallic, high albedo
The most massive known M-Type asteroid
Located in outer asteroid belt
Outer belt usually dominated by C and D-type asteroids

3. M-Type Asteroids Metallic content Largely Fe-Ni
Thought to be remnants of differentiated bodies
Range in metal content
Larger M-type asteroids tend to be hydrated/contain silicates

4. How did Psyche form? Theory #1
Psyche accreted with the rest of the belt and was large enough to differentiate
Over millions of years collisions stripped away its outer layers and left only the core

5. How did Psyche form? Theory #2
Psyche is the result of a collision of two protoplanets
This would give serious insight into the dynamics of such collisions?
Why/how was the crust of these planets stripped off?

6. How did Psyche form? Theory #3
Psyche was formed very close to the sun
Only heavier elements would have been available for accretion near the early sun
Psyche would then have had to migrate to its current position

7. 16 Psyche-Questions What is its structure and composition?
How did such a large, metallic body form?
Is Psyche the source of metallic meteorites?
Was Psyche molten?
Did it cool from the inside or outside?

8. Why Psyche? Largest of any such body discovered
All data on planetary cores is inferred from magnetism/tectonics
Give us clues about how planets form and where to look for planets like Earth

9. Feasibility Very similar to the successful Dawn spacecraft
Dawn mission orbited Vesta and is currently orbiting Ceres (both within asteroid belt)
Artist Rendering of Psyche Spacecraft
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Artist Rendering of Dawn Spacecraft
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

10. “The Psyche Mission could be ready to launch relatively quickly because it requires no new technology development”
-Dr. Elkins-Tanton, Lead Program Scientist and Principal Investigator for Psyche Team

11. About the Spacecraft Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) technology
Solar Panels
Use the power of the sun to create voltage
Ion Propulsion
Hyper-Efficient
Long Lifetime
Less mass and volume
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

12. About the Spacecraft Solar Electric Propulsion (SEP) technology
Solar Panels
Use the power of the sun to capture voltage
Ion Propulsion
Hyper-Efficient
Long Lifetime
Less mass and volume
Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

13. Instruments on Board Magnetometer Imager
Infrared and gamma ray spectrometers

14. The Mission- Psyche Orbiter
Launch in 2020, arrive at 16 Psyche in 2026
Orbit asteroid for 6 months to 1 year, collecting data on its topography, surface features, gravity, magnetism, and more

15. Flight Trajectory Options
Through Asteroid Belt, to the outer end
Asteroid belt has a ton of asteroids, but it is very sparsely populated
On average, 1 asteroid in each area about the size of Rhode Island
Have sent numerous probes to the asteroid belt and beyond
Pioneers 10 & 11, Voyagers 1 & 2, etc.
Other option: exit the plane of the solar system
Psyche Orbiter team has not disclosed which option they prefer

16. Essential Data Collection
Imager, Magnetometer, Gamma Ray Spectrometer
Characterize
Geology
Shape
Elemental Composition
Magnetic Field
Mass Distribution
High Quality Images

17. What Scientific Questions will this mission answer?
Is Psyche the stripped core of a differentiated planetesimal, or was it formed as an iron body? (Which of the 3 theories is correct?)
What are the major alloying elements that coexist in the iron metal of the core?
Was the core reduced or oxidized?
Did the core solidify inward or outward?

18. What Scientific Questions will this mission answer?
Did Psyche produce a magnetic dynamo?
Rotation, Convection, and Conduction

19. What Scientific Questions will this mission answer?
What are the key characteristics of the surface and topography (especially looking at the cratering in metal)? (Completely new field)

20. “This is one of the few missions (proposed) that’s truly exploration,” said Lindy Elkins-Tanton, a planetary scientist from Arizona State University who leads the Psyche mission, in an interview earlier this year.
“Nobody has ever seen a metal world before. We have no idea what it’s going to look like.”
- Lindy Elkins-Tanton