NASA’s ‘Lucy’ spacecraft set to visit multiple asteroids

Conservative News DailyOctober 15, 2021

This photo provided by NASA shows a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with the Lucy spacecraft aboard at Space Launch Complex 41, Thursday, Oct. 14, 2021, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Lucy will be the first spacecraft to study Jupiter’s Trojan Asteroids. Like the mission’s namesake – the fossilized human ancestor, “Lucy,” whose skeleton provided unique insight into humanity’s evolution – Lucy will revolutionize our knowledge of planetary origins and the formation of the solar system. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)

OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 8:54 AM PT – Friday, October 15, 2021

NASA scientists discussed their latest mission of launching a spacecraft to explore asteroids in our solar system. On Thursday, officials said they are targeting to launch the vessel for its 12-year mission this coming weekend.

NASA’s ‘Lucy’ spacecraft will travel nearly 4 billion-miles as it sets out to explore and even destroy swarms of asteroids in Jupiter’s orbit. Researchers said the spacecraft gets to fly closely near these objects, allowing them to be able to see what the asteroids really look like.

“We’re going to study the geology, surface composition, bulk properties and we’re going to search for satellites around these objects,” explained Cathy Olkin of the Southwestern Research Institute. “I’ll give you a flavor for some of our science investigations. One of them is to map the craters across our surfaces, the surface of the trojan asteroids. We’re going to look for craters smaller than a football field.”

Launching Lucy, continuing a legacy.

ULA and our heritage rockets have launched exploration missions to every planet in the solar system… and beyond.

Watch on YouTube: https://t.co/LDY5J8fc2o #AtlasV #LucyMission pic.twitter.com/J8Ja1rHRQI

— ULA (@ulalaunch) October 14, 2021