Close shave for NASA's Lucy as spacecraft successfully fly past asteroid Donaldjohanson
NASA's Lucy spacecraft has successfully completed a close flyby of asteroid (52246) Donaldjohanson, located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The flyby occurred on April 20 and marks the second of 11 planned asteroid encounters for Lucy. Scientists will now analyse the collected data to prepare for Lucy's primary mission — the exploration of Jupiter Trojan asteroids starting in 2027.
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Luci shuns to secure its instruments
Tired of too many ads?
Remove Ads
Warm-up targets prove fascinating
What's next for Lucy?
Lucy spacecraft: Background
FAQs
What is the significance of the asteroid Donaldjohanson?
Donaldjohanson is a carbonaceous asteroid that probably fragmented from a larger body 150 million years ago. It is a test target before Lucy's main mission to investigate Trojan asteroids.
When will Lucy travel to the Jupiter Trojan asteroids?
Lucy's maiden encounter with the Jupiter Trojan asteroids is in August 2027, starting with Eurybates and its moon Queta.
Disclaimer Statement: This content is authored by a 3rd party. The views expressed here are that of the respective authors/ entities and do not represent the views of Economic Times (ET). ET does not guarantee, vouch for or endorse any of its contents nor is responsible for them in any manner whatsoever. Please take all steps necessary to ascertain that any information and content provided is correct, updated, and verified. ET hereby disclaims any and all warranties, express or implied, relating to the report and any content therein.
The Lucy spacecraft of NASA successfully flew by asteroid (52246) Donaldjohanson . The main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter housed a tiny asteroid. At 1.51 pm EDT on Sunday, April 20, the nearest approach took place. At about 48,000 km/hour, Lucy flew nearly 960 km past the asteroid.Roughly four kilometres in diameter, the asteroid appears to be carbon-rich. It was likely chipped off a larger parent body around 150 million years ago. It rotates every 251 hours and periodically brightens and dims every 10 days. This suggests that the asteroid has an elongated shape.According to the Forbes report, the flyby is part of Lucy's 12-year mission to explore 11 different asteroids, including eight Jupiter Trojans . These primitive celestial bodies are considered to be remnants from the early solar system Reportedly, during the brief but critical encounter, Lucy stopped tracking the asteroid 40 seconds before its closest approach to protect its sensitive instruments from intense sunlight. Despite this, the spacecraft successfully re-established contact with Earth shortly after. NASA, according to the Forbes report, confirmed that Lucy is in good health.The spacecraft is now transmitting the collected data back to Earth. This process is expected to take around a week. The flyby, as per the report, was a crucial test run ahead of more complex encounters with Jupiter Trojan asteroids As per the media reports, this is Lucy's second asteroid encounter since it was launched on October 16, 2021. In November 2023, it imaged its first asteroid target, Dinkinesh and discovered a surprise—a small satellite asteroid orbiting it, later named Selam.According to the reports, Dr Tim Hal Levison, principal investigator for Lucy, described Donaldjohanson as a 'peculiar' young object. It is providing 'unexpected' knowledge through these early encounters even before Lucy reaches its primary targets, he was further quoted as saying.During its six orbits around the Sun, Lucy will perform multiple gravity-assist flybys of Earth. Reportedly, the next major encounter will involve the asteroid Eurybates and its moon Queta on August 12, 2027, followed by further Trojan flybys until 2033, the reports stated.Although Lucy will pass by the Earth in orbit a number of times, it will never return to Earth. It will be in the Trojans and Earth's orbit for millions of years, it added.As per the reports, Lucy bears a time capsule that includes notes of scientific and cultural icons, such as Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King Jr., Carl Sagan, and the Beatles.Lucy is named after the finding of a fossilised hominid skeleton found in Ethiopia in 1974. The asteroid Donaldjohanson was named in honour of Dr Donald Johanson, the paleoanthropologist who found the Lucy fossil. NASA is hoping the probe will give insight into the development of the solar system, just as the first Lucy provided important information on human origins.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Amazon launches 27 Kuiper satellites, to compete with Elon Musk's Starlink
Amazon has launched another 27 satellites for its Project Kuiper, intensifying competition with SpaceX's Starlink in the satellite internet market. This second successful launch brings Amazon's total to 54 satellites in orbit, marking progress toward its goal of providing global internet coverage with a planned constellation of 3,236 satellites. Amazon has launched 27 more satellites under its Project Kuiper on Monday (June 23), taking another step toward building a large network of internet satellites in low Earth orbit. The launch puts Amazon in closer competition with Elon Musk-owned SpaceX's Starlink, which currently leads the satellite internet market. The satellites were launched aboard a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 6:54 a.m. ET (4:24pm IST). 'We have ignition and lift off of United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket carrying satellites for Amazon's Project Kuiper internet constellation,' said ULA engineer Ben Chilton during a livestream of the launch. Amazon's second successful Kuiper launch This is Amazon's second successful Kuiper launch. The mission had been delayed twice due to bad weather and a technical issue with the rocket booster. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Trade Bitcoin & Ethereum – No Wallet Needed! IC Markets Start Now Undo The first batch of 27 satellites was sent into orbit in April this year. The company now has a total of 54 Kuiper satellites in space. These launches mark the beginning of Amazon's plan to build a network of 3,236 satellites to provide global internet coverage. Amazon must deploy at least half of its planned satellites — 1,618 — by July 2026 to meet a deadline set by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC). To achieve this goal, Amazon has booked more than 80 satellite launches with various providers, including SpaceX, its main competitor. Starlink, operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX, already has about 8,000 satellites in orbit and offers satellite internet service globally. Project Kuiper was first announced in 2019 as Amazon's move into the growing satellite internet market. The company says the service will help expand internet access in remote and underserved areas once it becomes fully operational. JOB SCAM ALERT! Don't Let Fake Recruiters Steal Your Money AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
India Today
4 hours ago
- India Today
Why life exist only on Earth? Explained in 6 pictures
Why does life exist only on Earth? Explained in 6 pictures 28Aug,2023 Pic Credit: Nasa, Getty Earth's habitability is influenced by its orbital parameters—including the length of day, tilt of the axis, and orbital shape—which create stable seasons, sunlight, and temperatures suitable for land-based life. NASA-funded researchers ran 93 simulations to understand how these parameters affect the potential for life on Earth-like planets. A planet's day length matters: Days longer than 20 Earth days can lead to cooler land temperatures, making it harder for land life to thrive. The tilt of a planet's axis is crucial, especially for fast-spinning planets, as it helps regulate seasonal temperature variations. Being in the 'Goldilocks zone' (not too hot or cold) isn't enough; orbital and rotational factors also play a key role in making a planet truly habitable. These findings help scientists refine the search for habitable exoplanets by considering more than just distance from the host star, focusing on orbital dynamics and planetary tilt.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
Startups cheer HAL's takeover of SSLV rocket; hope it boosts market for small satellites
With the defense PSU Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd ( HAL ) becoming the first Indian firm to own, build, and commercialise the Indian Space Research Organisation's ( ISRO ) SSLV rocket, sections of Indian startups are hopeful the deal will help them rely less on launch service providers overseas, get better schedule visibility, and save on costs. So far, most Indian startups, such as Pixxel, Digantara, and GalaxEye's upcoming mission Drishti, have used SpaceX for their launches. Some startups have also conducted payload testing on ISRO's shared missions. Startups told ET that if HAL can offer transparent pricing and firm launch windows, they would strongly prefer to work with Indian launch providers. Industry experts said the government should consider incentivising private payloads launched on Indian rockets to build a stronger homegrown ecosystem. SatLeo Labs CEO Shravan S Bhati, building thermal imaging satellites for low earth orbit (LEO), said the move will open new avenues for the competitive small satellite market and free up ISRO's think tank for deeper research and development (R&D) and planetary missions. The small satellite market, as per Stratview Research, will be valued at $7.7 billion by 2030. The small satellite market, as per Stratview Research (2024), was valued at $6.7 billion and is projected to grow to $7.7 billion by 2030. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Beyond Text Generation: An AI Tool That Helps You Write Better Grammarly Install Now Undo Earlier, in an interview with ET, Pawan Goenka, chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion & Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), said the regulator-cum-promoter will be setting up a dedicated launch centre for small satellite launches. 'Our target is to conduct 25 small satellite launches per year across three vehicles (SSLV, Agnikul's, and Skyroot's rockets), securing a major share of the global market.' Ahmedabad-based PierSight Space's cofounder, Vinit Bansal, working on maritime technology, said that transferring SSLV technology to an agency focussed on production, such as HAL, can enable more SSLV launches per year. 'SSLV can now serve as an 'Uber to space,' providing flexible access to specific orbits that are not feasible through shared missions,' he added. Live Events Challenges persist, but startups hopeful Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories Awais Ahmed, founder of Google-backed Pixxel, said that for startups such as his, this can reduce dependency on foreign launch providers and improve scheduling predictability. The startup launched its Firefly constellation of hyperspectral satellites earlier this year from SpaceX. 'If SSLV is reliably available and HAL builds institutional maturity in launch operations, it would certainly make access easier and potentially more cost-competitive,' Ahmed told ET. Another space tech startup, SpaceFields' founder, Apurwa Masook, building solid rocket propulsion technology for aerospace and defence and collaborating with HAL, said the global launch market is highly competitive and demands aggressive customer acquisition and agile supply chain management. He pointed out that traditional Indian DPSUs like HAL have historically faced challenges, which is also evident in their growing backlogs in military deliveries. 'For SSLV to succeed in the commercial market, HAL would need to rethink its go-to-market strategy and possibly lean more on nimble private sector collaborators,' the Bengaluru-based Masook said.
