NASA to launch Lucy, 1st space mission exploring Jupiter's asteroids, on Oct 16

National Aeronautics and ministration (NASA) is all set to launch its first craft to study Jupiter's Trojan asteroids. On Tuesday, NASA tested functions of Lucy, a planned NASA probe that will complete a 12-year journey to seven different asteroids, filled it with fuel, and is preparing to pack it into a capsule for launch on Saturday, October 16, ncy said in a statement.

team members have also prepped for mission hering to COVID-19 pandemic rms. Following all pandemic protocols, Lucy team members have spent past eight weeks at NASA’s Kennedy Center in Florida, preparing craft for flight.

'Launching a craft is almost like sending a child off to college'

“re has been a lot of hands-on work,” said Donya Douglas-Brshaw, Lucy's project manr at NASA’s Goddard Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Lucy craft will soon be packed into two halves of launch vehicle fairing, which will close around it like a clamshell. After craft is encapsulated, Lucy team will be able to communicate with it electrically through an “umbilical cord," NASA informed.

“Launching a craft is almost like sending a child off to college – you’ve done what can for m to get m rey for that next big step on ir own,” said Hal Levison, principal investigator of Lucy mission, based at Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Coloro.

Lucy set to launch on October 16

Lucy’s first launch attempt is scheduled for 5:34 am EDT on October 16. On September 18, propulsion engineers finished filling Lucy’s fuel tanks with approximately 1,600 pounds (725 kilograms) of liquid hydrazine and liquid oxygen, which make up 40% of mass of craft.

" fuel will be used for precise maeuvres that will propel Lucy to its asteroid destinations on schedule, while solar arrays – each width of a school bus – will recharge batteries that will power craft instruments," NASA ded.

In early October, encapsulated craft will be transported to Vehicle Integration Facility at Cape Canaveral Force Station, where it will be “mated” with United Launch Alliance Atlas V 401 rocket. Atlas V will lift off from Launch Complex 41. rocket will carry Lucy outside Earth’s atmosphere to begin long journey to Trojan asteroids.

What are Trojan asteroids?

According to NASA, Jupiter Trojans or Trojan asteroids are a large group of celestial bodies that share a common planet. Named after characters in Greek mythology, se asteroids circle Sun in two swarms, with one group leing ahe of Jupiter in its path, or trailing behind it.

Lucy will be first craft to visit se asteroids. By studying se asteroids up close, scientists hope to hone ir ories on how our solar system’s planets formed 4.5 billion years ago and why y ended up in ir current configuration. “With Lucy, we’re going to eight never-before-seen asteroids in 12 years with a single craft,” said Tom Statler, Lucy project scientist at NASA Hequarters in Washington.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for discovery as we probe into our solar system’s distant past,” he ded. However, as per NASA, in case launch of Lucy craft is halted due to wear issues, team will have ditional launch opportunities beginning following day.

(Im: @KimShiflett/Twitter)