Wow! Lucy Took This Picture of Earth as it was Making its Gravity Assist Maneuver By Nancy_A
The second photo, below, shows both Earth and the Moon and was taken on October 13, 2022 as Lucy approached Earth, from 1.4 km . You’ll need to look closely to see the Moon, as the Moon is less reflective than the brighter and bigger Earth. Both images were taken as part of an instrument calibration sequence.
On October 13, 2022, NASA’s Lucy spacecraft captured this image of the Earth and the Moon from a distance of 890,000 miles of last year, and so is currently one year into its twelve-year voyage. This gravity assist will place Lucy on a two year orbit, at which time it will return to Earth for a second gravity assist. That second assist will give Lucy the energy it needs to cross the main asteroid belt and observe the asteroid DonaldJohanson, and travel into the leading Trojan asteroid swarm.
The mission is named after the Lucy hominin fossils, and the view of Earth in the first image includes a view of Hadar, Ethiopia, where the 3.2 million-year-old human ancestor fossil was found. The name Lucy was chosen because study of the trojans could reveal the “fossils” of planet formation, the materials that clumped together in the early history of the Solar System to form planets and other bodies.
Singapore Latest News, Singapore Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Lucy Zipped Past Earth to get a Gravitational Assist Towards Jupiter's TrojansGravitational assists are marvels of orbital mechanics. Usually, they are done for a combination of fuel (i.e., cost) savings and speed, as it is sometimes faster to take multiple trips around planets in the inner solar system to reach locations in the outer solar system more quickly. Lucy recently made such a maneuver on its … Continue reading 'Lucy Zipped Past Earth to get a Gravitational Assist Towards Jupiter’s Trojans'
Read more »
The solar system: Facts about our cosmic neighborhoodHere's a look at our solar system, from the scorching surface of Venus to the home of the largest volcano.
Read more »
The hunt for habitable ocean worlds beyond our solar systemExoplanets made of up to 50 per cent water could be relatively common in the solar system. In comparison, Earth is only around 0.02 per cent water by mass Now, the race is on to find these ocean worlds
Read more »
SunPower Turns Our Roof Into A 30 MWh/Year PowerhouseOur upgraded SunPower solar system turns our roof into a 30 MWh a year powerhouse. Find out why we increased the system.
Read more »