Objects that size are difficult to detect until they wander much closer to Earth, complicating any efforts to brace for one that could impact a populated area. If bound for Earth, it would have been pulverized in the atmosphere, with only small fragments possibly reaching land.īut 2023 BU sits on the smaller end of a size group, asteroids 5-to-50 meters in diameter, that also includes those as big as an Olympic swimming pool. NASA for years has prioritized detecting asteroids much bigger and more existentially threatening than 2023 BU, the small space rock that streaked by 2,200 miles from the Earth's surface, closer than some satellites. While this signals the end of the mission, scientists will continue to use the data collected by the Lucy mission to make discoveries for years to come.WASHINGTON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - The discovery of an asteroid the size of a small shipping truck mere days before it passed Earth on Thursday, albeit one that posed no threat to humans, highlights a blind spot in our ability to predict those that could actually cause damage, astronomers say. If no humans interviene then in the far distance future the Lucy spacecraft will likely either be flung out of the Solar System or will crash into the Sun.ĭuring Phase F the team makes sure that all data is archived, that all lessons learned are documented, and that the spacecraft is on a stable orbit that won’t allow it to hit any potentially habitable world (there is a less than 0.01% chance that Lucy will hit any planet at all). Maybe some day humans will spread out into the Solar System and collect the Lucy spacecraft as a relic of the early stages of human explorations out into our Solar System. Thus Lucy will continue to orbit between the Earth and the Trojan asteroids far into the future. Even after the spacecraft is turned off, Lucy is on an orbit that will likely remain stable for more than 600,000 years. All good things must come to an end and once Lucy’s mission has come to an end it will be time to put the spacecraft into a long slumber. The final stage of the mission is close-out. Between the encounters Lucy also observes other objects from a distance, giving us a new perspective on many additional Solar System bodies.Īfter this 12 year main mission (and any possible extended missions) it is finally time to say goodbye to Lucy during the final Phase F. After this high resolution data is collected, it takes months for all of the data to be transmitted back to Earth. The closest approaches during each encounter only lasts a matter of hours and, during that time, all of the instruments must carry out a carefully orchestrated dance to collect as much information as possible about the target. The full tour takes almost 12 years.ĭuring each encounter Lucy is a buzz with activity. As a part of the operations plan, Lucy flies by the Earth twice for gravity assists and then heads out on its journey past one main belt asteroid and finally to the two Trojan swarms to visit 7 Trojan asteroids (one of which is a newly discovered satellite and two of which are a near equal mass binary). During this phase the engineers, scientists, and other professionals on the Lucy team work together to see that the mission is successfully carried out. This signals the transition to Phase E.Īll of the work designing, building and launching the mission comes to fruition in Phase E. This prepares it for success on its long, circuitous path to the Trojan Asteroids. If, for some reason, Lucy is unable to launch during this period, there will be another opportunity one year later.Īfter Lucy launches there are more engineering tests of all of the systems to make sure that Lucy is working as expected. In order to get on the correct orbit, Lucy must launch early in the morning (at 6am local time) during a short window each day. It has a 21 day launch period beginning on Oct 16. Lucy launchs out of Cape Canaveral, Florida, in October 2021. Once the spacecraft is assembled, tested and verified, it is time for the big event of Phase D, launch! All of the spacecraft systems and instruments are be integrated into the final spacecraft body and there is substantial testing to make sure that all of the system requirements will be met. Now that all of the components are designed, built, and tested, it is finally time to assemble the final spacecraft. Phase D: System Assembly, Integration, and Launch!
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