NASA has blasted a spacecraft,Puri for Rent (2025) traveling at speeds up to 92,000 mph, to the most mysterious asteroids in our solar system.
Called the Trojan asteroids, they are trapped in two swarms — one in front and one behind Jupiter. Crucially, astronomers say these curious space rocks are preserved relics of our early solar system. But we have no close views nor samples. That's why the Lucy mission, named after the ancient remains of a famous fossilized human skeleton, aims to visit these asteroids, which likely are the smaller building blocks of our diverse planets, including Earth.
"If we want to understand ourselves, we have to understand these small bodies," Hal Levison, a planetary scientist who leads the unprecedented mission to investigate the Trojans, told Mashable. "This is the first reconnaissance of the Trojan swarms."
And though the Lucy spacecraft is still over 330 million miles from these asteroids, it still captured its first footage of the Trojans, which you can see just below amid a background of stars.
SEE ALSO: If a scary asteroid will actually strike Earth, here's how you'll knowThis Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The Lucy mission will visit nine different Trojan asteroids over its 12-year mission, beginning in 2027.
Most of the endeavor will involve traveling to and around the Trojans in a serpentine, looping journey. The craft won't take any samples, but will swoop in for some close fly-bys of the asteroids. In total, the mission will closely observe the rocks with a slew of different cameras for just around 24 hours. The craft, with vast distances to cover, will be hauling through space, and zooming by these objects.
"We're not going to be able to blink," Levison said.
"We're not going to be able to blink."
Planetary scientists suspect the Trojans got stuck around Jupiter billions of years ago, some 880 million years after the solar system formed. Before that, they likely roamed the distant icy fringes of our solar system, before an upheaval sent them hurtling near the gas giant Jupiter. That's why they're considered largely preserved solar system "fossils."
Lucy's powerful cameras, including a spectrometer that can see what these asteroids are composed of, will observe the rocks' composition, mass, and geologic history. They'll see how icy the Trojans are, and how different they are from each other.
Want more scienceand tech news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable's Top Stories newslettertoday.
Levison expects to be surprised by what Lucy beams back. The mission will give scientists unprecedented insight into how our solar system, and humble blue planet, evolved and matured into the eight-planet realm we see today.
"I can’t wait to see what mysteries the mission uncovers!" NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement.
Robert Frost’s Death WishRoman Sewers: Innovative, Sure, But Filthy, TooAt the Met“More Rock and Roll! More Loud!” Giorgio Gomelsky, 1934–2016Photography Incubabula: How Early Photographs Got in BooksPink Cigarettes: Notes on Lighting UpHiroki Tsukuda’s “Enter the O”: A Haunting Alternate RealityTed Hughes in “The Fouled Nest of the Industrial Revolution”The Bizarre Books of George Leonard HerterRowan Ricardo Phillips on Steph Curry and the Golden State Warriors.Say “I Love You” With Our Special Valentine’s Day Box SetLiving on a Tolstoyan CommuneThe Bizarre Books of George Leonard HerterWhen Your Conscience Has a Headache: The Gossip HangoverStaff Picks: Continentals, Cocoons, Comics by The Paris ReviewPhotography Incubabula: How Early Photographs Got in BooksAbandon All Hope: Rowan Ricardo Phillips on the 76ersPoem: Mark DeFoe, “Jan. 27, 1979”Steve Clay on the Beginning of Granary BooksOn Elizabeth Gaskell’s “The Poor Clare” An aurora will light up in unusual places as solar storm rages Dating app fatigue has led to a flurry of IRL singles events How digital driver's licenses work Tencent's 2024 anti Target Circle: 20% off for teachers & college students Scientists found an incandescent planet. It's 'constantly exploding.' 'House of the Dragon' Season 2, episode 4: Is Aegon dead? Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun’s live stream suspended on Douyin for streaming while driving · TechNode Spain vs. France 2024 livestream: Watch Euro 2024 semi Xiaohongshu rolls out AI 2024 solar eclipse time today: When to watch where you are. What's on the far side of the moon? Not darkness. 'The Sims 4' adds polyamory in its Lovestruck Expansion Pack NASA spacecraft spots dead robot on Mars surface NASA video shows stunning scene from extremely volcanic world Io 'House of the Dragon' Season 2, episode 4: If Aegon dies, who becomes king? When the solar eclipse hits, you'll see these radiant planets Target Circle deal: $99.99 Bose SoundLink Flex speaker China may face an AI talent shortage of four million by 2030 · TechNode NASA asks: Can anyone help us get our Mars samples back?
2.3024s , 10131.7734375 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【Puri for Rent (2025)】,Feast Information Network