NASA prepares for mission to mysterious ‘metal world’ made of iron and nickel
Space agency will send robotic craft to explore the largest metallic asteroid in our solar system
NASA is preparing to launch a mission to explore a mysterious "metal world" which was formed during the turbulent birth of our solar system.
The massive object is called 16 Pysche and is believed to made of iron and nickel.
"Psyche is by far the largest metal object in the solar system," Benjamin Weiss, professor of planetary sciences at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told The Sunday Times.
"Psyche would be the first and only metal world to be visited by humanity. This is true exploration."
The metal asteroid is likely to be a leftover from the tumultuous early days of our star system, when planets formed before being smashed apart.
"Often large things blew apart into small again," said Linda Elkins-Tanton, director of the School of Earth and Space Exploration at Arizona State University.
"Planets could be built, torn asunder and rebuilt in 10 million years or less."
Related Stories
Now scientists want to work out if the asteroid has a magnetic field like Earth's, which would suggest the object has a liquid metal core.
If this field is detected, it could mean Pysche was once part of a larger world which was blasted apart billions of years ago.
"All the physical measurements from radio telescopes bouncing waves off the body indicate that it consists largely of iron and nickel," Elkins-Tanton added.
"Psyche looks like it is a stripped-naked planetary core, a remnant of the hit-and-run collisions that disrupted the early solar system."
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368
