TED-ED: Why is NASA sending a spacecraft to a metal world? - Linda T. Elkins-Tanton

The video discusses the asteroid 16 Psyche, a metallic body in the solar system, and NASA's mission to study it. Psyche is unique due to its nickel-iron composition, similar to Earth's core, offering a rare opportunity to study planetary formation and core composition. NASA's mission, part of the Discovery Program, aims to explore Psyche using advanced instruments to analyze its surface and magnetic field. This mission could provide insights into Earth's innermost secrets by studying an exposed metallic core in space.

What is the primary composition of the asteroid 16 Psyche?

• Silicon and Oxygen

• Magnesium and Aluminum

• Nickel and Iron

• Carbon and Hydrogen

Why is NASA particularly interested in studying 16 Psyche?

• To understand Earth's core by studying a similar structure

• To mine its resources for space construction

• To test new spacecraft technology

• To establish a human colony on the asteroid

What prevents scientists from directly studying Earth's core?

• The core is made of unknown materials

• Extreme pressure and temperature conditions

• The core is too small to study

• Lack of interest in Earth's core

What makes 16 Psyche a unique object of study in the solar system?

• It is the only asteroid with an atmosphere

• It has a unique orbit around the Sun

• It is a rare exposed metallic core of a planetesimal

• It is the largest asteroid in the solar system

Which instrument will help determine the elements present on Psyche's surface?

• Magnetometer

• Barometer

• Spectrometer

• Thermometer