Beneath the vast, star-filled expanse of the night sky, something amazing is about to happen.
A spacecraft is preparing to launch into the inky void of space, its engines humming with
power and promise.
But as we all know, launching a spacecraft is always a nerve-wracking moment.
Anything can go wrong, from a minor technical hiccup to a catastrophic failure.
And even once the spacecraft is in space, it's far from safe.
One faulty piece of equipment could spell disaster.
So, when the NASA Lucy probe launched on its mission to explore asteroids, we all held
our breath.
But what we didn't know was that Lucy's journey was far from calm and uneventful.
It had been locked in a death-defying dance, dodging space debris and other hazards for
a full year.
Today, we'll be taking a closer look at the perilous journey of the Lucy probe and the
incredible discoveries it has made on its groundbreaking mission.
In the depths of space, the Trojan asteroids have been lurking, almost entirely unexplored.
But why, when they orbit so close to Jupiter, one of the largest and most studied planets
in our solar system?
Perhaps it's because these space rocks have been shrouded in mystery since they were first
hypothesized back in 1906.
Since then, scientists have spotted almost 4,600 asteroids that fit the bill, but it's
likely that many more remain undiscovered.
These asteroids hold the secrets of our solar system's earliest days, acting like a time
capsule that scientists are dying to unlock.
And that's where Lucy comes in.
Lucy's mission is to visit not one, not two, but seven of these ancient Trojan asteroids
on a single trip, breaking records left and right.
It's an ambitious mission that requires a complex figure-of-eight trajectory, sling
shotting around the solar system and utilizing the gravitational pull of Earth to make its
way to the LaGrange points where the asteroids reside.
But Lucy is no ordinary spacecraft - it's armed with strong thrusters, powerful cameras,
a thermal infrared spectrometer, and two massive solar panels to keep it powered up for the
journey.
Lucy is ready to embark on the most challenging and complicated tour of our solar system yet,
and we're all along for the ride.
Lucy's journey to the Trojan asteroids was always going to be a daring feat.
But just hours after launch, NASA was hit with a problem that threatened to derail the
entire mission.
Lucy's massive solar panels, which were crucial for powering the spacecraft, failed to fully
deploy.
The problem was caused by the sheer size of the panels, which had to be folded up during
launch to fit inside the rocket.
The motors that were supposed to deploy the panels didn't work as planned, and one of
the two panels failed to latch into place.
With no cameras pointed at the spacecraft, no one knew exactly how far the second panel
had unfolded, making the task of fixing it all the more difficult.
But time was of the essence, and Lucy needed a solution before it reached the Trojans or
attempted any major thruster burns.
Without the full power of its solar panels, Lucy would be rendered useless, and the mission
would be over before it even had a chance to begin.
Would the team at NASA be able to solve the problem in time, or would Lucy's mission end
before it even had a chance to get off the ground?
It was a race against the clock to save this intrepid spacecraft and keep it on course
for the historic journey to come.
When NASA realized that Lucy's solar panels had failed to fully open, it was a major setback
for the mission.
But the team quickly got to work to find a solution.
They started by checking how much electricity the panel was producing, which gave them a
rough idea of how open the panel was.
However, they needed more precise information to fix the problem.
It was like trying to guess how many fingers someone was holding up while blindfolded.
The team then came up with a clever solution.
By slightly activating Lucy's thrusters, they were able to vibrate the spacecraft.
This caused the onboard sensors to record tension readings in the panels, which allowed
them to figure out exactly how far open the panel had unfurled.
It was like figuring out how many fingers someone had raised by listening to the sound
their fingers made as they moved their arm.
With the help of powerful computers, NASA was able to accurately determine the status
of the solar panel and take the necessary steps to ensure that Lucy's mission survived.
The NASA team was determined to fix Lucy's solar panel issue.
They carefully examined the data and eventually realized that the problem was caused by a
tangled lanyard that had jammed during liftoff.
Using a model version of Lucy, they brainstormed solutions and gathered more accurate data
on the degree to which the panel had opened and its power generation, which was at 90%.
They faced a tough decision: use Lucy's onboard motors to yank the lanyard and risk further
problems or leave it as is, potentially compromising the mission.
After much consideration, the team settled on a gradual approach.
Over the course of several months, they applied gentle tugs to the lanyard, carefully monitoring
the motor's temperature to prevent overheating.
Finally, after much effort, they were able to get the panel to open between 353 and 357
degrees, providing enough tension to secure it.
This was not quite 360 degrees, but it was sufficient.
By August 2022, the team had confidence that Lucy would be able to handle its high G maneuvers,
and they were relieved that this timing coincided with one of those critical maneuvers just
two months later.
The dedication and persistence of the NASA team paid off, and Lucy was once again on
track to complete its important mission.
By now Lucy had made its way back to Earth, completing a wide, carefully planned loop.
Its next move was a major one: a daring dive into Earth's gravity well to give it a much-needed
boost in velocity.
The science behind this maneuver is nothing short of fascinating.
By approaching the Earth from behind relative to its motion, Lucy could leverage the planet's
gravity to increase its speed.
Conversely, if you were to approach from an angle moving against the planet's motion,
your velocity would slow down.
Lucy would take advantage of the accelerating version of this plan, plunging as close as
350 kilometers to Earth's surface to get the most out of this gravitational pull.
But with such a risky move came the added danger of mankind's influence.
With 48,000 satellites and orbital debris hovering above us in space, Lucy needed to
navigate this hazardous cloud safely.
Sure, space is vast, and the probability of a collision seems low.
However, it's not impossible, and with so many objects in play, it's tough to keep track
of everything.
A single missed satellite in the wrong place at the wrong time could spell disaster for
Lucy, resulting in a catastrophic crash.
As Lucy returned to Earth, NASA had to keep a watchful eye on the skies to ensure the
spacecraft's safety.
They had to scan the skies to look for potential threats and needed to change Lucy's course
if there was even a slim chance of collision.
Luckily, they had an unexpected ally in the newly formed U.S. Space Force, who was monitoring
space for objects moving through the area.
Together, they were able to collaborate and plan a safe path for Lucy to follow.
Finally, on October 16, 2022, Lucy made its appearance in the skies, visible to observers
in Western Australia, shining brighter than the International Space Station.
It then disappeared into Earth's shadow for 20 minutes, only to re-emerge over the western
United States.
As Lucy soared above, it took a photo of the planet, focusing on Ethiopia, the country
where the original Lucy fossil was found in 1974.
This spacecraft was named after the fossil and serves as a reminder of its mission to
explore the origins of our solar system, this time searching for asteroids instead of bones.
It's incredible to think that the efforts of NASA and the U.S. Space Force were able
to make this possible.
They share a mutual desire to prevent big collisions from taking place in space, and
their joint efforts allowed Lucy to explore safely.
Lucy may have had a lot going on over the past year, but that didn't stop NASA from
making the most of its time in space.
In addition to testing its onboard components, Lucy took the opportunity to study one of
its destination asteroids, Polymele, as it passed in front of a star.
What they found was unexpected - Polymele had a small satellite orbiting around it!
With this discovery, Lucy added a new destination to its mission and increased its total number
of targets to nine.
In 2024, Lucy will perform another dive into the Earth's gravity well and arrive at its
first destination for study in 2025.
It will be visiting the inner main belt C-type asteroid Donald Johanson before proceeding
on to the Trojans in 2027.
But with the possibility of discovering more satellites, its list of targets may continue
to grow.
Lucy has certainly been keeping busy, overcoming challenges and making exciting new discoveries.
If it can continue to navigate the obstacles ahead, it will become a record-setting spacecraft.
As we eagerly await the results of its mission, who knows what other surprises Lucy may uncover
on its journey through space.
In conclusion, the Lucy mission represents a significant step forward in our understanding
of the early solar system and the formation of planets.
With its groundbreaking mission to explore the Trojan asteroids, Lucy will bring back
invaluable data that will help scientists understand the history and composition of
these ancient bodies.
Through its use of gravity assists and its ability to discover new objects in the asteroid
belt, Lucy is a testament to the ingenuity of NASA scientists and engineers.
As Lucy continues its journey through the solar system, it will undoubtedly encounter
new challenges and make new discoveries, and its legacy will be felt for years to come.
Now let’s hear your thoughts about NASA’s Lucy mission in the comments section below.