NASA Lucy Spacecraft’s 2nd Slingshot of Earth Towards Jupiter Trojan Asteroids

NASA Lucy Spacecraft’s 2nd Slingshot of Earth Towards Jupiter Trojan Asteroids

NASA’s Lucy Mission is heading to the Jupiter Trojans, two swarms of asteroids trapped in Jupiter’s orbit . . . but to get there, Lucy needs a little help from the Earth. On December 12, 2024, the spacecraft will make its second close flyby of Earth (following an earlier gravity assist in October 2022). As night falls on Hawaii, Lucy will streak over the darkened Pacific Ocean, coming to within about 220 miles of the planet at 11:15 pm ET. The encounter will boost Lucy’s velocity by four-and-a-half miles per second relative to the Sun, putting it on course for the L4 Trojans that travel ahead of Jupiter.

For more information about NASA’s Lucy Mission, visit: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/lucy

Lucy’s principal investigator is based out of the Boulder, Colorado, branch of Southwest Research Institute, headquartered in San Antonio. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, provides overall mission management, systems engineering, and safety and mission assurance. Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, built and operates the spacecraft. Lucy is the 13th mission in NASA’s Discovery Program. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, manages the Discovery Program for the Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Dan Gallagher: Producer/Narrator
Kel Elkins: Data Visualizer
Walt Feimer: Animator
Adriana Manrique Gutierrez: Animator
Jonathan North: Animator
Dan Gallagher: Animator
Katherine Kretke: Public Affairs
Nancy Jones: Public Affairs
Kathryn Mersmann: Support
Aaron E. Lepsch: Technical Support
Duration: 2 minutes, 34 seconds
Release Date: Dec. 10, 2024

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