NASA
has recently authorized the implementation and 2021 launch of the Lucy
spacecraft. This will be the first mission that will visit the Trojans, a
population of primitive asteroids orbiting in tandem with Jupiter near
the asteroid belt.
The confirmation review authorized
continuation of the project into the development phase. The review panel
approved the detailed plans, instrument suite, budget and risk factor
analysis for the spacecraft. From here on in, the Critical Design Review
will examine Lucy's system design before assembly occurs.
“Up until now this mission has entirely been on paper,” said Lucy
Principal Investigator Hal Levison of the Southwest Research Institute
at Boulder, Colorado. “Now we have the go ahead to actually cut metal
and start putting this spacecraft together.”
During
its 12-year journey, the spacecraft is expected to visit seven
different asteroids - a Main Belt asteroid and six Trojans. Using a
remote-sensing instrument suite, the spacecraft will study the geology,
surface composition and bulk physical properties of these bodies at a
short range.
“Today’s confirmation of Lucy is a key step towards better understanding
the role that small bodies played in the formation of the Solar System
and life on Earth,” said Adriana Ocampo, Lucy’s program executive at
NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. “We congratulate the entire team
for their hard work.”
Read the full press release at: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2108/nasas-mission-to-jupiters-trojans-given-the-green-light-for-development
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