NASA is inviting social media users to take part in their global virtual NASA Social for their Lucy mission, which will send the first spacecraft to study the Trojan asteroids.
The mission will explore rocky terrains and study the beginnings of our solar system, sharing the orbit with Jupiter, around the Sun.
Lucy is scheduled to launch on Saturday, October 16, on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from the Space Launch Complex-41 on Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
Since NASA cannot invite public onsite for their usual NASA events, they are presenting an opportunity to people from all ages from around the world to participate in.
NASA Social participants will have the opportunity to:
- Connect virtually with a community of people excited about the #LucyMission
- Watch exclusive behind-the-scenes videos about the mission
- Learn how to create your own Lucy time capsule
- Obtain your own NASA Social badge to share
- Learn more about the spacecraft, the rocket launching Lucy and the mission objectives
The NASA Social event page will open on Monday, Oct. 4 and everyone is invited to join by selecting the “Going” button.
Lucy Mission
Referred to as the time capsules from the birth of our Solar System more than 4 billion years ago, the swarms of Trojan asteroids associated with Jupiter are thought to be remnants of the primordial material that formed the outer planets.
According to NASA, the Trojans orbit the Sun in two loose groups, with one group leading ahead of Jupiter in its path, the other trailing behind. Clustered around the two Lagrange points equidistant from the Sun and Jupiter, the Trojans are stabilized by the Sun and its largest planet in a gravitational balancing act. These primitive bodies hold vital clues to deciphering the history of the solar system.
Lucy will be the first space mission to study the Trojans. The mission takes its name from the fossilized human ancestor (called “Lucy” by her discoverers) whose skeleton provided unique insight into humanity’s evolution. Lucy mission is expected to revolutionize our knowledge of planetary origins and the formation of the solar system.
Also read: Save the dates: NASA’s schedule of launches and landings is here
