[서울=뉴시스] NASA’s asteroid probe ‘Lucy’ will approach the asteroid ‘Dinkinesh’, located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, on November 1, American information technology (IT) media Gizmodo reported on the 30th (local) time) was reported. The photo is an imagination of Lucy approaching Dinkinesh. (Photo = National Aeronautics and Space Administration) 2023.10.31. *Resale and DB prohibited
[서울=뉴시스]Intern Reporter Lee Dong-hyeon = NASA’s asteroid probe ‘Lucy’, which has traveled millions of kilometers over the past two years, is embarking on its first exploration.
According to Gizmodo, an American information technology (IT) media outlet, on the 30th (local time), NASA’s asteroid probe Lucy will visit the asteroid Dinkinesh (1999 VD57 Dinkinesh), located in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, at approximately 12:54 PM ET on November 1. )’.
Hal Levison, lead researcher on the Lucy project at the Southwest Research Institute, said in a statement, “This is the first time Lucy has observed up close a celestial body that has been difficult to observe even with the highest-performance telescopes,” and “Dinkinesh is the first time humans have seen Dinkinesh. “It will be made public,” he said.
Dinkinesh is a 700m wide asteroid that was first discovered in 1999. At the time of discovery, it was called ‘1999 VD57’ and was given a name only after it was selected as an observation target for the Lucy project in January of this year. Dinkinesh means ‘beautiful you’ in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia.
Through this project, NASA plans to test for the first time the probe’s tracking system, which is designed to pinpoint the location of an asteroid and keep it within the observation range of the instrument. According to NASA, LUCY will collect data using an infrared spectrometer and color imager during its eight-minute approach to the asteroid.
“We always know what the rover needs to do, but it’s so far away from Earth that it takes 30 minutes for signals to travel back and forth,” Mark Efferts, chief engineer at Lockheed Martin Space, said in a statement. “It operates according to a pre-designed program,” he said.
NASA’s Lucy probe was launched in October 2021 to study the Trojan asteroid group orbiting Jupiter. LUCY plans to observe several asteroids, including Polymele, Patroclus, and Menoetius, starting with the asteroid Eurybates in 2027.
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