9 Things to Know About NASA’s Lucy Mission Heading Towards Trojan Asteroids

An asteroid hunter, called Lucy, was successfully launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket on October 16 on a 12-year mission to study Jupiter’s asteroid swarms. The spacecraft has successfully conducted some maneuvers, and things of its systems are on track, according to the latest update by NASA regarding the Lucy mission.

Here’s what to know about the Lucy spacecraft and its target Trojan asteroid.

1- Why do scientists choose the Trojan asteroids?

Hints of extraterrestrial life are being sought not just on Mars, but beyond this planet. In this regard, scientists think that the Trojan asteroids, which are considered mysterious space rocks, may hold clues of how our solar system evolved billions of years ago as they have remained gravitationally steady for a long time. The rocks have been caged in Jupiter’s orbit.

NASA/JPL-Caltech

2- NASA’s first attempt to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids

The space agency’s Lucy mission will investigate these asteroids over the next 12 years, being NASA’s first-ever single spacecraft mission to explore scores of different asteroids, said the agency. According to NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, “Lucy embodies NASA’s enduring quest to push out into the cosmos for the sake of exploration and science, to better understand the universe and our place within it.” He said: “I can’t wait to see what mysteries the mission uncovers!”

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3- Sophisticated trajectory of Lucy mission

The asteroid hunter has a complicated trajectory for the purpose of having a gravity assist, with an average cruising speed of 39,000 mph. To pass each Trojan asteroid, it will be traveling 15,000 mph on average. Lucy will fly by seven Trojan asteroids as well as one main belt asteroid, said NASA. It will orbit the Sun and return to Earth in October 2022 when the spacecraft will be accelerated beyond the orbit of Mars.

Another gravity assist will take place in 2024 as Lucy will head back toward Earth to reach Donaldjohanson asteroid in 2025, of which its name comes from a paleoanthropologist at the Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University. This asteroid located in the main asteroid belt in our solar system. To arrive in 2027, Lucy will be on the road to its first Trojan asteroid after the second attempt. Then, following the first four targeted flybys, the spacecraft will get back to Earth for a third gravity assist in 2031, which will push forward it to the Trojans for a 2033 encounter.

Southwest Research Institute

4- The reason why the Lucy will do multiple flybys

When it comes to space missions, especially a distant destination, to save fuel as much as possible is the main purpose as fuel delivery in space will mean extra costs. NASA explains this situation, “It takes a lot of rocket fuel to slow down and orbit an asteroid, and even more fuel to leave and do it multiple times.”

5- What Trojan asteroids will have flybys by Lucy?

Eurybates, Queta, Polymele, Leucus, Orus, Patroclus, and Menoetius. To note, most of the Trojan asteroids are named for heroes in The Illiad –an epic poem– that is attributed to Homer.

6- Instruments carried by Lucy

Lucy is carrying three scientific instruments: L’Ralp, L’LORRI, and L’TES. L’Ralph includes the spacecraft’s color camera, also known as the Multi-spectral Visible Imaging Camera (MVIC), and an imaging spectrometer in infrared, or the Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA), which will detect the composition of materials located on the asteroids’ surfaces.

L’LORRI, or the Long Range Reconnaissance Imager, is the high spatial resolution camera imaging in black and white. As for L’TES — the far infrared Thermal Emission Spectometer– is the tool to measure the temperature of the surface.

Lucy fossil. Jason Kuffer

7- How will Lucy communicate with Earth?

This asteroid hunter will make contact with our planet through its High Gain Antenna. Moreover, it will also use its T2CAM — terminal tracking cameras — to trace asteroids in the course of encounters.

8- When will this mission come to an end?

NASA set the year 2033 as the end date of the Lucy mission. It will fade away in the vicinity of Jupiter.

9- Where does the name Lucy come from?

The spacecraft heading towards the Trojan asteroids is named after the Lucy fossil discovered in Hadar, Ethiopia by the team of anthropologist Donald Johanson.

WATCH: Designing Lucy’s path to the Trojan asteroids