Planets and Moons  ID: 13948

Designing Lucy’s Path to the Trojan Asteroids

Lucy is the first mission to explore the Jupiter Trojans – two swarms of asteroids that share Jupiter’s orbit, leading and trailing the giant planet by sixty degrees. These primitive bodies are thought to be the “fossils” of planet formation, trapped by Jupiter’s gravity at the dawn of the solar system. Now, NASA is sending Lucy on a winding, twelve-year-long path to visit one main-belt asteroid and seven Jupiter Trojans. Lucy will provide the first up-close look at these mysterious objects, helping scientists to better understand the evolution of the solar system.

Learn more about Lucy’s path to eight asteroids.

Asteroid Ryugu imagery provided by: JAXA Hayabusa 2

 

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For More Information

NASA.gov

Southwest Research Institute


Credits

Lead Producer:
Dan Gallagher (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)

Lead Visualizer:
Kel Elkins (USRA)

Producer:
Ned Barbee (Lockheed Martin)

Interviewees:
Cathy Olkin (SwRI)
Brian Sutter (Lockheed Martin)

Interviewer:
Lauren Duda (Lockheed Martin)

Videographers:
Chris Tucker (Lockheed Martin)
Adam Mattivi (Lockheed Martin)
John Caldwell (Advocates in Manpower Management, Inc.)

Lead Animator:
Jonathan North (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)

Animators:
Walt Feimer (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
Michael Lentz (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)
Scott Wiessinger (KBR Wyle Services, LLC)

Support:
Wade Sisler (NASA/GSFC)
Katherine Kretke (SwRI)
Aaron E. Lepsch (ADNET Systems, Inc.)

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center