Interrogating 16 Psyche’s Interior with Rotational Dynamics and Gravity FieldOPEN ACCESS 

· by · in , , , ,

Anton I. Ermakov

The Planetary Science Journal, Volume 7, Number 7, published: 14 July 2026

LINK (OPEN ACCESS)
PDF (OPEN ACCESS)

“16 Psyche is an M-type main belt asteroid. 16 Psyche’s high density and radar-bright surface indicate a large iron content. However, the degree of Psyche’s internal differentiation is not known. NASA’s Psyche mission is going to orbit 16 Psyche, collecting geophysical data. Spacecraft Doppler tracking will be used to measure 16 Psyche’s gravity field. Gravitational torque from the Sun and planets causes precessional and nutational motion of 16 Psyche’s spin axis. The measurements of 16 Psyche’s precession and nutation can constrain its dynamic flattening, thus providing the needed constraint to solve for its full inertia tensor. For strongly nonhydrostatic bodies, such as 16 Psyche, moments of inertia provide nondegenerate information compared to gravity coefficients, thus informing the differentiation state. In this paper, we evaluate Psyche’s rotational dynamics and conclude that expected amplitudes of precession and nutation could be large enough to be plausibly detected by the Psyche mission’s observational campaign.”

Related posts (automatically generated):

  1. A Numerical Approach Using a Finite Element Model to Constrain the Possible Interior Layout of (16) PsycheOPEN ACCESS 
  2. Distinguishing the Origin of Asteroid (16) PsycheOPEN ACCESS 
  3. Psyche Mission Description and Design RationaleOPEN ACCESS 
  4. Mission to Psyche: Including Undergraduates and the Public on the Journey to a Metal WorldOPEN ACCESS 
  5. The NASA Psyche Mission: The First up-Close Exploration of a Metal-Rich WorldOPEN ACCESS 
  6. Exploring the Interior Structure of (16) Psyche Through Basin‐Scale CollisionsOPEN ACCESS 
  7. Formation of Asteroid (16) Psyche by a Giant ImpactOPEN ACCESS 
  8. The Surface of (16) Psyche from Thermal Emission and Polarization MappingOPEN ACCESS 
  9. The Solar Wind at (16) Psyche: Predictions for a Metal WorldOPEN ACCESS 
  10. Planar periodic orbit families around asteroid (16) Psyche
Tags: , , , , , ,