There aren't many classes of objects left in our solar system that we haven't looked that up close with a spacecraft. And one of them that's left is the metal asteroids. 16th Siky is an asteroid that orbits the sun out between Mars and Jupiter. The reason that Siky is unique is that it is metal rich. It's believed that it may be a remnant core of an early planetesma that was formed in the very, very earliest parts of the formation of the solar system. And after this planet started forming and this metal core formed inside of that, it collided with other bodies that then stripped off the rocky mantle, leaving this core in place. This is the part of planets that we can't sample directly today. It's too hot. The pressure is too high. Our instruments would melt. We can't drill a hole that deep in the Earth or other planets. So how do we study the core of our planet? Siky gives us the opportunity to visit a core the only way that humankind can ever do. And it would be the first metal object that humankind is ever visited. We've been approved to go in August of 2022. It'll take a number of years to get there. Flies pass Mars gives us a gravity assist, uses that propulsion system to then slowly creep up. So at the end of 2025, getting there in early 2026. We'll go into four concentrically smaller orbits to collect the necessary measurements that we need from our three primary instruments. So our payload consists of a couple of images, which are cameras that take pictures of Siky. Also, a gamma ray neutron spectrometer, which allows us to measure the elemental composition of the surface of Siky. And then a magnetometer, which allows us to detect a magnetic field that's left at Siky. If Siky still has some sort of wimnant magnetic field that probably tells us it really was a core, it's a strong indicator. We also use the radio on the spacecraft as an instrument. So we can map out the gravity and map out the interior structure that way. We're using a particular thruster technology, Hall Effect thruster technology. They operate five times more efficiently than normal rockets. So they use a lot less fuel and is what allows us to get into orbit around this asteroid. Solar electric propulsion has been around for quite a while and it has flown before, but we are continuing to push the boundaries. We're going to have big five panel, fold out solar panels that will provide the electricity for the thrusters, which use as propellant the noble gas xenon. This will be the first time that Hall Effect thrusters have flown in deep space. The evolution of a planetary body is a detective story. There's a magic to when you actually are on the launch pad and you say we're go for launch. And you feel like singing and dancing and you feel like throwing up at the same time. Let's go discover things about our solar system that we have no other way to do. I think that it's fundamental to who we are and also who we should be. It's an incredible opportunity to be a part of the team making that happen.