NASA's Lucy Spacecraft Prepares for Key Asteroid Test Ahead of Major Mission

NASA's Lucy spacecraft prepares for its second asteroid encounter in deep space — but this event serves merely as a 'dress rehearsal.'

As humans explore further into the enigmas of space, missions such as NASA’s Lucy are leading the way by transforming distant celestial bodies into narrators of our solar system’s birth story. Having launched in 2021, Lucy embarked on a decade-long odyssey through the cosmos with an emphasis on uncovering hidden truths locked away inside primordial asteroids. Following a triumphant initial pass-by in 2023, this endeavor has moved into a pivotal period where it will gauge the craft's capabilities fully and pave the path for future grand astronomical revelations. The probe plans to conduct its next rendezvous with an asteroid on April 20, 2025. NASA .

The second asteroid encounter will take place with Donaldjohanson, which is a small main-belt asteroid. Although it might appear to be just a routine flyby, this event holds significance as it acts as a complete dry run for Lucy’s primary mission: exploring the Trojan asteroids. Trojan asteroids Those sharing Jupiter’s orbit are thought to act as time capsules, conserving material from the earliest days of the solar system. solar system's origin.

Encounter phase lead Michael Vincent As noted by representatives from the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), “If you were seated on the asteroid observing the approach of the Lucy spacecraft, you would need to cover your eyes due to the sun’s brightness until Lucy becomes visible after emerging from the sunlight,” according to NASA statements.

Exactly at 1:51 p.m. EDT, Lucy will flyby Donaldjohanson from just 596 miles away (960 kilometers), as stated. Daily Galaxy Approximately 30 minutes prior to the close approach, Lucy will adjust its orientation to monitor the asteroid, relying on its final tracking system to focus on the objective. During this period, the spacecraft spacecraft’s high-gain antenna will divert itself from Earth temporarily, not indefinitely; however, it will pause communications, which is perilous yet essential for achieving the ultimate outcome. During this interaction, all three of Lucy’s scientific tools will be operational.

1. L' Lorri (a high-resolution black-and-white camera)

2. L' Ralph (a device combining a color imager with an infrared spectrometer)

3. L'ITES (a far-infrared spectrometer)

In unison, they aim to gather comprehensive visual and compositional information, offering researchers an unparalleled glimpse into this 150 million-year-old asteroid remnant—one of the most recent such objects explored by a space mission. Nonetheless, achieving this isn’t without challenges. Forty seconds prior to reaching its nearest point, Lucy must stop monitoring to prevent directing its equipment towards the intense solar radiation.

Vincent noted, “One of the odd aspects of these deep space missions is comprehending just how limited the speed of light can be... The Lucy probe is 12.5 light-minutes distant from Earth, which means it takes that much time for our signals to reach the craft. We then have to wait an additional 12.5 minutes to receive Lucy’s confirmation that she received our message,” explained NASA.

Tom Statler Lindley Johnson, the Lucy mission program scientist at NASA headquarters in Washington, stated, “Each asteroid carries a distinct narrative, and collectively, their tales form the chronicle of our solar system... Observations from telescopes suggest that Donaldjohanson might hold an intriguing tale…” This dress rehearsal is essential for preparing the spacecraft’s encounter with Trojan asteroids, which lie at the core of Lucy’s exploration objectives. Even though Donaldjohanson isn’t among the Trojans, its significance in Lucy’s voyage remains vital.