Double Moon Mystery: NASA’s Lucy Unravels Dinky’s Secret
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft discovered that the asteroid Dinkinesh, also known as “Dinky,” is orbited by a satellite composed of two fused moons, collectively named “Selam.”…
Lucy Mission News
The Lucy Mission, launched by NASA in October 2021, is a pioneering space mission aimed at exploring Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids, a group of asteroids that share Jupiter’s orbit around the Sun. Named after the famous fossilized human ancestor, Lucy, the mission seeks to study these primordial bodies to better understand the formation of the solar system and how planets and other celestial bodies came into being. Over a 12-year journey, the Lucy spacecraft is expected to fly by one main belt asteroid and seven Trojan asteroids. These Trojans are believed to be remnants from the early solar system, effectively serving as time capsules that can provide invaluable insights into the conditions and processes of the solar system’s early years. The mission stands out for its ambitious goal of visiting multiple asteroids with a single spacecraft, utilizing advanced technology and instruments to analyze the composition, density, geology, and atmospheres of these objects.
Twin Moons of Dinkinesh: NASA’s Lucy Unveils a Surprising Discovery
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft’s November 2023 flyby of asteroid Dinkinesh revealed significant geological features indicating its internal strength and complex history. Images showed a trough, a…
Slingshot to Discovery: Lucy’s 2024 Odyssey Among Jupiter’s Ancient Guardians
The Lucy mission aims to study the Jupiter Trojan asteroids through a series of deep space maneuvers and an Earth gravity assist, setting the stage…
Meet Selam: The Stellar New Discovery From NASA’s Lucy Mission
The satellite discovered during the first asteroid encounter of NASA’s Lucy mission has an official name. On November 27, 2023, the International Astronomical Union approved…
Another Surprise From NASA’s Lucy Asteroid Encounter: “We Never Suspected Anything So Bizarre!”
NASA’s Lucy Surprise Observation of 1st-ever Contact Binary Orbiting Asteroid It turns out there is more to the “marvelous” asteroid Dinkinesh and its newly discovered…
Double Surprise: NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Makes “Marvelous” Discovery During Asteroid Dinkinesh Flyby
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft has revealed that the asteroid Dinkinesh is a binary system. The flyby tested the spacecraft’s tracking abilities and provided a preview of…
NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Successfully Completes First Asteroid Flyby
The Lucy operations team has confirmed that NASA’s Lucy spacecraft has phoned home after its encounter with the small main belt asteroid, Dinkinesh. Based on…
Lucky Lucy: WISE’s Serendipitous Observations Light Path to Asteroid Dinkinesh
Researchers have utilized infrared survey data to refine the asteroid’s size and surface brightness in support of the November 1 encounter by NASA’s Lucy mission….
First Asteroid Encounter: NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Ready to Meet Dinkinesh
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft is set to fly by the asteroid Dinkinesh on November 1, marking its first asteroid encounter. The flyby will test Lucy’s terminal…
NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Snaps First Images of Asteroid Dinkinesh on Its 12-Year Voyage of Discovery
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft provides its first glimpse of asteroid Dinkinesh. Over a span of two months, Lucy will get closer, testing its systems before a…
Lucy in the Sky With Asteroids: NASA’s Mission Reveals First Images of Jupiter’s Trojans
NASA’s Lucy mission captured its first views of four Jupiter Trojan asteroids, with observations helping to choose exposure times for close-up observations. Lucy is on…
Introducing “Dinkinesh” – First Asteroid Target for NASA’s Lucy Mission Gets a Name
The first asteroid to be visited by NASA’s Lucy mission now has a name. The International Astronomical Union has approved the name (152830) Dinkinesh for…
NASA’s Record-Breaking Lucy Spacecraft Has a New Asteroid Target
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft will add another asteroid encounter to its 4-billion-mile journey. On November 1, 2023, Lucy will get a close-up view of a small…
NASA Gives Up: Lucy Mission Suspending Further Solar Array Deployment Activities
NASA’s Lucy mission team has decided to suspend further solar array deployment activities. The team determined that operating the mission with the solar array in…
Ahead of Gravity Assist, NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Captures Images of Earth and Moon
NASA’s Lucy made a close fly-by of planet Earth on October 16, as part of a gravity assist maneuver. Shortly before its closest approach, the…
Never Tell Me the Odds: NASA’s Lucy To Fly Past Thousands of Objects for Earth Gravity Assist
Mission engineers will continually track NASA’s Lucy spacecraft as it prepares to swing by Earth on October 16 for a gravity assist. This will allow…
NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft About To Sling-Shot Past Earth
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft, the first mission to the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, will skim the Earth’s atmosphere on October 16, at 7:04 a.m. EDT. It is…
Moon Discovered Around Asteroid Polymele by NASA’s Lucy Team
Even before its launch in October 2021, NASA’s Lucy mission was already on course to break records by visiting more asteroids than any previous mission….