NASA's Lucy spacecraft to visit 150M-year-old asteroid next month
What's the story
NASA's Lucy spacecraft is gearing up for a major milestone in its mission, a flyby of an ancient asteroid called Donaldjohanson, on April 20.
The 5km-wide space rock is believed to be around 150 million years old.
The upcoming encounter with Donaldjohanson will be a critical rehearsal for future encounters, especially with Jupiter's Trojan asteroids, the spacecraft's final destination.
Mission goals
Lucy's mission to explore 11 asteroids in total
Over its 12-year mission, Lucy will visit 11 asteroids in total across two swarms ahead of and behind Jupiter. Each asteroid visit is critical for the mission.
A recent study from researchers at the Southwest Research Institute in Boulder, Colorado indicates that Donaldjohanson may have unexpected surprises, just like those found during Lucy's previous visit to Dinkinesh.
Asteroid profile
Donaldjohanson's history and unique characteristics
"Based on ground-based observations, Donaldjohanson appears to be a peculiar object," said Simone Marchi, Lucy's deputy principal investigator at Southwest Research Institute, and lead author of the new study.
The researchers used computer modeling to find that this asteroid was formed about 150 million years ago from the breakup of a larger asteroid.
They also found significant changes in Donaldjohanson's orbit and spin over time.
Data collection
Lucy to gather crucial data during flyby
During next month's flyby, Lucy will gather data on Donaldjohanson's shape, surface geology, as well as cratering history. This data is especially critical as it can only be obtained from close proximity.
Marchi said he is looking forward to the flyby, adding, "As of now, Donaldjohanson's characteristics appear very distinct from Bennu and Ryugu."
However, they might discover unexpected links between these asteroids.
Historical insight
Trojan asteroids: A window into solar system's history
The Trojan asteroids are particularly interesting to researchers as they hold ancient secrets of our solar system's formation.
Hal Levison, the mission's principal investigator from the Southwest Research Institute, described these relics as "fossils of the planet formation process, holding vital clues to deciphering the history of our solar system."