NASAの探査機「Psyche」が5月15日に火星をフライバイ（接近通過）した。この機動により、火星の重力を利用して加速し、軌道修正が行われた。この接近により、探査機は火星のどちらの衛星よりも火星に近い距離を通過した。
探査機は東部標準時午後3時30分頃、火星から約2,800マイル（約4,500キロメートル）の距離を時速12,300マイル（約19,800キロメートル）で通過した。この距離は、火星から3,700マイル（約6,000キロメートル）の軌道を周回するフォボスの距離よりも近い。今回のフライバイは、太陽電気イオン推進システムで使用されるキセノンガスを節約するために計画された重力アシストである。
AIによるレポート AIによって生成された画像
NASA's Artemis II mission lifted off successfully on April 1, 2026, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sending astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen aboard the Orion spacecraft for the first crewed Moon flyby since Apollo 17. Powered by the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the 10-day test flight will validate critical systems for future lunar landings and Mars missions, looping around the Moon's far side.
NASA's Psyche spacecraft is scheduled to pass within 2,800 miles of Mars on May 15 to gain a gravitational boost toward its target asteroid. The maneuver will increase the probe's speed while allowing tests of its scientific instruments.
AIによるレポート
NASA has completed initial evaluations of the Artemis II mission systems following the crew's safe return from a lunar flyby earlier this month. The Orion spacecraft and SLS rocket performed as expected, setting a new record for the farthest distance traveled from Earth. Minor issues arose with the toilet system, but the crew resolved them successfully.
NASA's Artemis II crew became the first humans in over 50 years to loop around the moon's far side on April 6, traveling farther from Earth than any before them. The astronauts captured unprecedented views, including close-ups of craters and a unique solar eclipse. They are now heading back for a splashdown off California on April 10.
AIによるレポート
Orion spacecraft from Artemis 2 mission has completed its final maneuver before atmospheric reentry, the most critical phase of the journey. Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen face a 13-minute descent at over 40,000 km/h and temperatures above 2,500 degrees, with splashdown planned off San Diego.
Scientists from the University of Basel, ETH Zurich, and the European Space Agency have tested a quadrupedal robot equipped with a robotic arm to explore planetary surfaces more efficiently. The robot navigated rocky terrain autonomously, identifying targets and collecting data faster than traditional human-guided methods. The findings, published this week, suggest it could accelerate resource prospecting and searches for signs of life on the moon and Mars.
AIによるレポート
Researchers at the University of Arizona simulated the formation of a large crater on metal-rich asteroid 16 Psyche to predict its internal structure ahead of NASA's arriving spacecraft. The study highlights the role of porosity in crater shapes and tests two possible compositions: a layered metallic core with rocky mantle or a uniform metal-silicate mix. Findings, published in JGR Planets, will aid interpretation of mission data expected in 2029.