NASA's Journey to the Asteroid Belt Continues!

Get ready for a thrilling astronomical event! NASA's Lucy spacecraft is set to zip past a small asteroid this weekend, paving the way for its grand expedition into the heart of the asteroid belt near Jupiter!

Launched in 2021, Lucy's mission involves encounters with a staggering 11 asteroids, with the ultimate goal of unraveling the mysteries of our early solar system. These celestial bodies act as the ancient remains from the planet formation process, offering insights into the solar system's origins.

A Sneak Peek Before the Big Show!

This upcoming flyby is more than just practice; it's a critical dress rehearsal ahead of its first encounter with a Trojan asteroid in 2027. During this weekend’s flyby, Lucy will harness its three advanced science instruments to study the small, harmless asteroid named Donaldjohanson, located 139 million miles away in the asteroid belt — a distance so great it takes data 12 minutes to travel back to Earth.

Interestingly, the asteroid was named after the paleontologist who unearthed the famous fossil known as 'Lucy' in Ethiopia 50 years ago. He will be present at Lockheed Martin’s Mission Control to witness history in the making!

What Can We Expect from this Astounding Encounter?

Lucy is set to fly as low as 596 miles (960 kilometers) from Donaldjohanson, an asteroid stretched out to about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers). Although small, Lucy's high-speed approach at over 30,000 mph (48,000 kph) will allow scientists to uncover crucial details about its size and shape — no ordinary potato here! Instead, lead scientist Hal Levison predicts it could resemble either a bowling pin or even a snowman, reminiscent of the New Horizons mission’s Arrokoth.

"We don’t know what to expect. That’s what makes this so cool," says Levison, underscoring the excitement surrounding the unknown.

What’s Next for Lucy?

During the flyby, communication with Lucy will be temporarily halted as it focuses entirely on tracking the asteroid. Expect most of the scientific data to be available just a day after the encounter.

Following this initial flyby, Lucy will prepare for its main event: visiting the Trojan asteroids, which share Jupiter’s orbit. These fascinating swarms will be Lucy's targets from 2027 to 2033, with the spacecraft planning to visit eight of them, some in pairs!

Having already made headlines with its first encounter with Dinkinesh back in 2023 — where it discovered a mini moon — the excitement is palpable for what’s next in store for Lucy!