NASA's Psyche spacecraft has captured rare images of Mars during a May flyby, giving scientists an unusual view of the Red Planet as the spacecraft used its gravity to accelerate toward a distant metal-rich asteroid.
The spacecraft passed roughly 2,800 miles above Mars on May 15, completing a gravity-assist maneuver that slightly altered its trajectory and boosted its speed toward the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The encounter also provided an unexpected opportunity to test Psyche's scientific instruments and capture images of a planet more often photographed from orbit or from its surface.
