by Zhang Ting
NASA successfully launched the space probe ‘Lucy’ on Saturday (16/10/2021) to explore the asteroid Troy Jupiter. This is the first time NASA has carried out such a mission with a mission duration of 12 years
The probe, or ‘Lucy’ spacecraft, is located in a special mother cabin, and is carried by an Atlas V rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
The rocket is owned by the United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
The space probe ‘Lucy’ is worth USD. 450 million, is one of NASA’s largest exploration projects launched this year. ‘Lucy’ will next be on her 12-year mission to observe a number of asteroids. Besides, ‘Lucy; will also observe one main belt asteroid and seven Trojan asteroids. This will be the first mission in NASA’s history to explore so many different asteroids. ‘Lucy’ will explore the “fossils” formed by these planets at close range during her later journey.
Scientists hope ‘Lucy’ can fly in and observe the group of seven Trojan asteroids at close range to provide clues about how the planets of the solar system formed about 4.5 billion years ago, and what shaped their structure today.
The Trojan asteroid group is a large group of asteroids that share an orbit with the planet Jupiter and both orbit the sun.
NASA claims that scientific evidence shows that the Trojan asteroid is the remains of material that formed the giant planet. Studying them can reveal previously unknown information about their formation and evolution of the solar system.
NASA says the asteroid is thought to be rich in carbon compounds and could even provide new insights into the origins of organic matter and life on Earth.
To get a gravitational boost, ‘Lucy’ will fly over the earth three times in a short distance, and will be the first spacecraft to fly back around the earth from the outer solar system. (Note: The inner solar system includes the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars, while the outer solar system includes Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto).
It is estimated that in 2025, in the main planetary belt between Mars and Jupiter, ‘Lucy’ will meet the asteroid ‘52246 Donaldjohanson’ for the first time.
Bill Nelson, Director of NASA said that ‘Lucy’ embodies NASA’s perpetual pursuit of the universe to explore science. “I can’t wait to find out what kind of mysteries this mission will unravel soon!”
“Today we celebrate this incredible achievement and look forward to hearing about the new discovery of ‘Lucy’”, said Donya Douglas-Bradshaw, ‘Lucy’ Project Manager at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. (Sin)
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