NASA’s Psyche asteroid mission made a course adjustment via a flyby past Mars en route to its final destination. Here’s what it saw.

A processed view of Mars as seen by the Psyche mission on approach. The mission’s multi-spectral imager saw extensions in the crescent horns of Mars, due to the scattering of sunlight in the tenuous but dusty Martian atmosphere.

NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU

Sometimes, with careful planning, the solar system gives missions a free kick on the way towards their ultimate goal. Just such a gravitational assist occurred recently, when NASA’s mission to the asteroid 16 Psyche flew past Mars .

The eponymous mission swung by Mars on May 15th, passing 4,609 kilometers (2,864 miles) distant. This flyby was the only gravitational assist for this mission.

Flybys provide a boost to interplanetary exploration, without requiring the use of precious onboard propellant.…