Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Judi Lynn

(160,219 posts)
Thu Sep 30, 2021, 12:57 AM Sep 2021

Meet Lucy: NASA's new asteroid-hopping spacecraft


The stars are aligning to let Lucy visit a record-shattering eight asteroids.

BY CHARLIE WOOD | PUBLISHED SEP 29, 2021 4:00 PM



A rocky asteroid takes up the left half of the frame, and a satellite with two large solar panels sits to the right.

This illustration shows the Lucy spacecraft passing one of the Trojan Asteroids near Jupiter. Southwest Research Institute

Today, NASA engineers will begin packing a freshly built spacecraft, Lucy, into the tip of an Atlas V rocket. When Lucy launches in October, it will attempt a journey unlike any previous mission. Over the course of 12 years, the wandering spacecraft will fly by a whopping eight asteroids, mostly in the vicinity of Jupiter.

The scientists behind the mission think of themselves as cosmic paleontologists, naming the mission after the renowned “Lucy” skeleton, which revealed a new chapter of human evolutionary history. The Lucy spacecraft will chase down a handful of Trojan asteroids, fossil-like fragments left over from Jupiter’s formation that the gas giant has harbored in two gravitationally protected zones for the last 4.6 billion years. From Earth, the Trojans show up only as specks of light. The $981 million mission represents NASA’s bid to examine the planetary fossils up close.

“Whatever Lucy finds will give us vital clues about the origin of our solar system,” said Lori Glaze, the director of NASA’s Planetary Science Division, at a press conference on Tuesday.

Trojan researchers shoot their shot

More than a dozen spacecraft have journeyed to asteroids before (a few particularly daring machines have even snagged samples), but most previous missions have visited at most two asteroids or comets. Lucy will fly by four times as many targets.

More:
https://www.popsci.com/space/nasa-lucy-spacecraft-upcoming-launch/
1 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Meet Lucy: NASA's new asteroid-hopping spacecraft (Original Post) Judi Lynn Sep 2021 OP
Oh, I thought it was Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds. NBachers Sep 2021 #1
Latest Discussions»Culture Forums»Science»Meet Lucy: NASA's new ast...