: Across its 12-year journey, the total time spent making primary science observations will only add up to about 24 hours.
NASA’s Lucy spacecraft is currently embarked on a nearly $1 billion, 12-year mission that scientists describe as "hauling ass" through the solar system. Named after the famous 3.2-million-year-old human ancestor fossil, the probe is designed to uncover the "fossils" of planet formation: the Jupiter Trojan asteroids. The Mission’s Objectives Lucyzip
In late 2023, Lucy successfully completed a flyby of a small asteroid nicknamed "Dinky" (Dinkinesh). It is scheduled to continue its tour, visiting two main belt asteroids and six Jupiter Trojans, with its final encounters planned for 2033. Technical Resilience : Across its 12-year journey, the total time
Despite a minor technical setback early in the mission—one of its two massive solar wings failed to fully latch—NASA flight controllers have determined the spacecraft is stable enough to complete its historic voyage. The Mission’s Objectives In late 2023, Lucy successfully
Because of the spacecraft's immense speed, its actual scientific observation time is surprisingly short.