NASA tested the Psyche mission ship in harsh conditions

The Psyche spacecraft was tested before launch in August. The purpose of such tests is to ensure

that it can operate under the extreme conditions it will encounter during its mission to the metal-rich asteroid Psyche 16.

Due to its significant size and highDue to the metal content in the rock, it accounts for almost 1% of the mass of all bodies in the asteroid belt, which allows it to be among the ten most massive asteroids of the main belt.

Conditions to be exposed to during the flightNASA spacecraft, are extreme: violent shaking during rocket launch, jolt upon separation from launch vehicle, extreme temperature fluctuations due to varying exposure to sunlight, and vacuum.

Before launch, engineers reproduced these harshconditions in a series of rigorous tests to ensure Psyche can withstand them. NASA's spacecraft just completed its own series of electromagnetic, thermal, vibration, shock and acoustic tests at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California.

In December 2021, scientists beganelectromagnetic testing to ensure that the spacecraft will function properly in space conditions and that the electrical and magnetic components that make up the spacecraft are compatible and will not interfere with each other.

The team then rolled the spacecraft into26 meters high and 8 meters wide JPL heavy-duty vacuum chamber for thermal vacuum testing (TVAC). All air was sucked out of the chamber to replicate the airless vacuum of space. This test ensures that the spacecraft can survive in the vacuum of space and helps engineers see how an object heats up and cools down without the movement of air to help regulate the temperature.

According to the test results, Psyche was recognized as completely ready for launch.

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