Lucy will make black and white and color images and use a diamond beam splitter to emit far-infrared light from asteroids to measure their temperature and make maps of their surface. It will also collect other measurements as it flies. These data could help scientists understand how the planets may have formed.
Sarah Dodson-Robinson, an assistant professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Delaware, says Lucy can offer a final schedule not only when the planets were originally formed, but where.
“If you can figure out when the Trojan asteroids formed, then you have some information about when Jupiter formed, and you can start asking questions like, ‘Where did Jupiter go in the solar system?’ “She says. “Because he was not always where he is now. Moves around. “
And to determine the age of the asteroids, the spacecraft will look for surface craters that may not be larger than a football field.
“[The Trojans] they have not had nearly as many collisions and fractures as some of the other asteroids that are closer to us, ”says Dodson-Robinson. “We will potentially look at some of these asteroids as if they were shortly after they formed.”
During her 4 billion-mile journey, Lucy will receive three Earth gravity assists, which will involve using the planet’s gravitational force to change the spacecraft’s trajectory without depleting its resources. Coralie Adam, deputy head of the Lucy mission’s navigation team, says each push will increase the spacecraft’s speed from 200 miles per hour to more than 11,000 mph.
“If it weren’t for this help for Earth’s gravity, it would take five times as much fuel – or three metric tons – to reach Lucy’s goal, which would make the mission impossible,” Adam said during a briefing for engineering media who also took place on 14 October.
Lucy’s mission is expected to end in 2033, but some NASA officials already feel confident that the spacecraft will last much longer. “There will be a good amount of fuel left on board,” Adam said. “After the last encounter with the binary asteroids, as long as the spacecraft is strong, we plan to offer NASA to carry out an extended mission and explore more Trojan horses.”