NASA's Lucy spacecraft speeds toward its second asteroid encounter
- NASA's Lucy spacecraft will fly by another small asteroid this weekend.
- The spacecraft, launched in 2021, is on a mission to visit 11 asteroids, including initial flybys for collecting scientific data.
- This encounter serves as a rehearsal for a more significant mission phase, leading up to Lucy's scheduled exploration of Trojan asteroids near Jupiter in 2027.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — This weekend, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft is set for its second encounter with a small asteroid as it travels toward a more significant target, the Trojan asteroids orbiting near Jupiter. Launched in 2021, Lucy's mission includes a total of 11 asteroid flybys, each providing insight into the history and formation of our solar system. The approach will occur approximately 139 million miles from Earth, located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Data from this significant event will take about 12 minutes to reach control teams in Colorado. The Lucy spacecraft’s agile design allows it to collect valuable data on the asteroids it encounters. This upcoming flyby is considered a rehearsal for a more critical mission phase set for 2027, when Lucy is scheduled to arrive at its first Trojan asteroid. Each visit to these space rocks contributes to our understanding of the early solar system, as asteroids are remnants from when planets were forming. Lead scientist Hal Levison noted that the upcoming flyby should help elucidate the size and shape of the asteroid, which may consist of one elongated body or two separate asteroids that are far apart. The Lucy mission carries the name of the famed paleoanthropological discovery, with the paleontologist who discovered the fossil named Lucy in Ethiopia 50 years ago participating in the mission's activities from Lockheed Martin’s Mission Control. This encounter presents a unique opportunity for scientists, allowing them to gather firsthand information from material dating back to the formation of the solar system over billions of years ago. Lucy’s initial flyby occurred in 2023, where it passed by a previously unexamined small asteroid named Dinkinesh, also located within the main asteroid belt. The scientific community eagerly anticipates the results from both the previous and upcoming encounters, as they broaden our understanding of planetary formation and the ancient history recorded in these celestial objects.