posted 10-15-2021 09:39 PM               

This thread is intended for comments and questions regarding NASA's Lucy mission to the Trojan asteroids.

The Lucy spacecraft, during its nominal 12-year mission, will fly by and collect data from seven primitive worlds in the same orbit as Jupiter, as well as a main belt asteroid.

posted 10-15-2021 09:40 PM               

NASA's Lucy mission is scheduled to launch on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021 at 5:34 a.m. EDT (9:34 UTC) to the Trojan asteroids.

posted 10-16-2021 04:58 AM               

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket with the Lucy spacecraft aboard is seen in this 2 minute and 30 second exposure photograph as it launches from Space Launch Complex 41, Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

posted 10-14-2022 01:16 AM               

At around 6:55 a.m. EDT, Lucy will first be visible to observers on the ground in Western Australia (6:55 p.m. for those observers). Lucy will quickly pass overhead, clearly visible to the naked eye for a few minutes before disappearing at 7:02 a.m. EDT as the spacecraft passes into the Earth’s shadow. Lucy will continue over the Pacific Ocean in darkness and emerge from the Earth's shadow at 7:26 a.m. EDT. If the clouds cooperate, sky watchers in the western United States should be able to get a view of Lucy with the aid of binoculars.

The public is invited to join the #WaveToLucy social media campaign by posting images of themselves waving towards the spacecraft and tagging the @NASASolarSystem account. Additionally, if you are in an area where Lucy will be visible, take a photograph of Lucy and post it to social media with the #SpotTheSpacecraft hashtag. Instructions for observing Lucy from your location are available here.