NASA Launches Spacecraft to Jupiter's Trojan Asteroids

2 年前

NASA launched a spacecraft to study clusters of asteroids surrounding Jupiter on October 16, beginning a 12-year mission, the first of its kind, to study the rocks known as Jupiter Trojans.

The mission, dubbed “Lucy,” took off on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida after 5.30 am on Saturday.

“Lucy will explore a record-breaking number of asteroids, flying by one main belt asteroid, and seven Trojans,” NASA said.

The mission was named after human fossil discovered in Ethiopia nicknamed Lucy. “Just as the Lucy fossil provided unique insights into humanity’s evolution, the Lucy mission promises to revolutionize our knowledge of planetary origins and the formation of the solar system, including Earth,” NASA said. Credit: NASA via Storyful