NASA reports that its Psyche spacecraft images a crescent view of Mars on May 15, 2026, at about 5:03 a.m. PDT as the mission approaches the planet for a gravity assist. Both sources describe the image as being taken by Psyche’s multispectral imager instrument. The two outlets also note that the crescent image is the last view in which the whole planet fits within the camera’s field of view. After this point, the spacecraft’s perspective causes Mars to appear larger in the frame, eventually overfilling the camera’s view. The reporting is focused on the timing of the image capture and the viewing geometry leading to the transition from a full-disk view to a crescent view as the flyby approach continues. No additional findings from the image are specified in the provided text beyond the description of how and when it is captured.
NASA’s Psyche mission captures last full view of Mars before gravity assist
NASA reports that its Psyche spacecraft images a crescent view of Mars on May 15, 2026, at about 5:03 a.m. PDT as the mission approaches the planet for a gravity assist. Both sources describe the imag...
- NASA’s Psyche spacecraft captures an image of Mars on May 15, 2026, at about 5:03 a.m. PDT.
- The image is taken during Psyche’s approach to Mars for a gravity assist.
- The multispectral imager instrument onboard Psyche records the image.
- The view shows Mars as a crescent.
- This is described as the last time the whole planet fits within the camera’s field of view before it overfills.
This view of a crescent Mars was captured on May 15, 2026, at about 5:03 a.m. PDT by NASA's Psyche mission as it approached the planet for a gravity assist. Captured by the spacecraft's multispectral imager instrument, this was the last view of the whole planet before it began to overfill the field of view of the camera.
3 months agoDescription This view of a crescent Mars was captured on May 15, 2026, at about 5:03 a.m. PDT by NASA’s Psyche mission as it approached the planet for a gravity assist. Captured by the spacecraft’s multispectral imager instrument, this was the last view of the whole planet before it began to overfill the field of […]
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