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Fresh off of its first asteroid encounter that revealed a bonus space rock, Lucy is now ready for the big leagues. The NASA spacecraft began maneuvering its way to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids, traveling to a farther orbit in deep space in order to reach the Jovian system.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their ViewOn Wednesday, Lucy fired its main engine for the first time in space as the first step in a series of maneuvers to change the velocity of the spacecraft so that it can reach the…

A NASA probe sent to observe Jupiter’s swarm of asteroids recently caught the first glimpse of its rocky targets, capturing deep-space images of four of the mysterious Trojans. What Is Planet Nine and Why Can’t We Find It?The Lucy spacecraft used its highest resolution imager, L’LORRI (Lucy LOng Range Reconnaissance Imager), to photograph four Trojan asteroids during a two-day period from March 25 to 27, NASA announced on Thursday. The first asteroids to be seen by Lucy are: Eurybates, Polymele, Leucus, and Orus. Those…

Graphic showing Lucy’s trajectory shortly before the planned asteroid encounter.Graphic: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterThere’s been a slight change to Lucy’s already-impressive itinerary. The NASA spacecraft, currently en route to visit Jupiter’s mysterious Trojan asteroids, will fly past a tiny main belt asteroid in order to test an innovative tracking system.The targetasteroid, designated (152830) 1999 VD57, is located within the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. Measuring just 0.4 miles (700 meters) across,…

The Lucy spacecraft captured this image of Earth on October 15. Image: NASANASA’s Lucy spacecraft got its first view of the Earth-Moon system one year after launching from its home planet to explore a distant swarm of asteroids. The spacecraft captured beautiful, and somewhat daunting, images of Earth and its natural satellite as it whizzed past for a gravitational assist. The Lucy spacecraft is currently on a six-year journey to Jupiter to study the Trojan asteroids, two groups of rocky bodies that lead and follow…

An illustration of the Lucy spacecraft flying past one of the Trojan asteroids. Illustration: NASAIt’s been a year since NASA launched its Lucy spacecraft on a mission to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids. On Sunday, Lucy will wave hello to Earth for the first time during a brief, but potentially dangerous, rendezvous. In the unlikely event of a collision, the mission team has prepared maneuvers to protect the spacecraft from satellites and space junk. Lucy’s first flyby of Earth will place the spacecraft a mere 220 miles (350…

An illustration of the Trojan asteroids as they lead and follow Jupiter.Illustration: NASAAstronomer Marc Buie has been tracing the shadows of a swarm of rocky bodies as they pass in front of stars, leaving behind a distinct imprint of their shape. These space rocks are known as the Trojan asteroids, two groups of asteroids that lead and follow Jupiter as they orbit the Sun. NASA’s Lucy spacecraft is on its way to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids for a chance to get a closer look at the primordial rocks. But before its…

The Lucy spacecraft will be the first to visit the Trojan asteroids. Illustration: NASAFor nearly eight months, Lucy has been sailing its way to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroids while NASA engineers on the ground have been working to fix a pesky solar array that refuses to unfurl. The good news is that there now appears to be some progress.The solar array failed to open shortly after the spacecraft launched in October 2021. Ground controllers with the NASA project sent commands to the Lucy spacecraft on four separate occasions…