Lucy Spacecraft’s Flyby of Asteroid Donaldjohanson

April 21, 2025

The Lucy spacecraft is set to make flyby of the asteroid Donaldjohanson. This event is scheduled for April 20, 2025, and marks important step in its 12-year mission to explore ancient asteroids. Located 139 million miles from Earth, Donaldjohanson resides in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. This flyby will enable Lucy to gather vital data about the asteroid’s size and shape.

Lucy Mission

Lucy is a NASA space probe launched in 2021. Its primary mission is to study primitive asteroids that have existed since the solar system’s formation. These celestial bodies serve as time capsules, offering vital information about the early conditions that led to the formation of planets. The spacecraft is named after the famous “Lucy” fossil, a very important discovery in human evolutionary studies.

The Significance of the Flyby

The upcoming flyby of Donaldjohanson is a preparatory exercise for Lucy’s future encounters with Trojan asteroids near Jupiter. This flyby will allow Lucy to test its scientific instruments and gather preliminary data. The asteroid is believed to have a unique shape, possibly resembling a bowling pin or a snowman, which will be closely examined during the flyby.

Instruments on Board Lucy

Lucy is equipped with advanced scientific instruments. These include L’Ralph, a colour camera and infrared imaging spectrometer; L’LLORI, the high-resolution Lucy Long Range Reconnaissance Imager; and L’TES, the far-infrared Lucy Thermal Emission Spectrometer. These tools will allow the spacecraft to analyse the asteroid’s surface and composition in detail.

Future Exploration Plans

Following the flyby of Donaldjohanson, Lucy will embark on its main mission to explore eight Trojan asteroids from 2027 to 2033. These asteroids are thought to contain organic materials and other elements that may provide clues about the origins of life on Earth. This mission aims to enhance our understanding of planetary formation and the early solar system.

Connection to Human Evolution

The asteroid Donaldjohanson is named after the paleoanthropologist who discovered the “Lucy” fossil. This connection marks the intersection of space exploration and human evolutionary history. The findings from the Lucy mission may not only inform us about the solar system’s past but also about the conditions that led to life on Earth.

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