NASA will send a spacecraft to Jupiter's Trojan asteroids through its Lucy Mission. It will be the first-ever spacecraft to visit the said group of asteroids in a mission that might reveal some secrets about the early solar system.
NASA Lucy Mission to Jupiter's Trojan Asteroid: Everything You Need to Know
According to CNET, NASA's Mission is named after Lucy, the fossil who taught humans about the beginning of humanity. However, per the Institute of Human Origins Arizona State University, Lucy is named after The Beatles' song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".
The Lucy Spacecraft plaque is filled with quotes from The Beatles band, Albert Einstein, poet Joy Harjo, author Kazuo Ishiguro, Martin Luther King Jr., and others, per another report by Cnet. Lucy is also equipped with an antenna to communicate with Earth, an infrared thermometer and spectrometer, as well as high-tech cameras.
However, NASA's Lucy mission is created to reveal a cosmic evolutionary record. Through Lucy's sSpacecraft launch to Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, scientists will be able to understand more of the solar system's history as well as its origin. According to NASA, two asteroids are circling around the Sun: one group orbits the Sun before the gas giant Jupiter and one follows the other group streams at the back of the planet.
Cnet also explained that there are over 7,000 Trojan asteroids that have been identified. These Trojan asteroids are said to be a group of floating left-over rocks. NASA identified Trojan asteroids as "time capsules from the birth of our solar system." For Billions of years, Trojan asteroids are trapped around a stable orbit (Lagrange Point), causing them to circle around the planets.
On the other hand, NASA's Lucy mission also has other missions:
1. For Surface Geology: Lucy will check the nature of crustal structure and layering. It will also identify relative ages of surface units.
2. For Surface Color and Composition: Lucy will identify rock compositions, mineral properties, and soil compositions.
3. For its Interiors and Bulk Properties: Lucy will determine the craters' compositions through digging.
4. Lucy will also investigate the Trojan asteroid's satellite and rings.
Aside from this, Lucy will also use solar power for the mission. NASA added that 20 minutes for each crucial solar panel will be allotted to extend after launch.
"These 20 minutes will determine if the rest of the 12-year mission will be a success," NASA's Principal Investigator Hal Levison stated.
Through the NASA Lucy Mission, scientists will be able to confirm the 4.5 billion years theory on how the solar system's planets were developed, as well as to know why the planets ended up on their current arrangement.
Luckily, people can watch NASA's Lucy spacecraft lunch.
Where to Watch Lucy Spacecraft Launch
The NASA Lucy spacecraft launch can be watched online on the NASA TV. The launch was scheduled to air online on October 16 at 2:34 a.m. PT (5:34 a.m. ET)
According to firstpost, the Lucy spacecraft launch is seven years in the making. The said spacecraft has a 23-day launch period starting October 16, and it will launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
