{"id":200284,"date":"2025-04-15T03:59:58","date_gmt":"2025-04-14T17:59:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=848696"},"modified":"2025-04-15T03:59:58","modified_gmt":"2025-04-14T17:59:58","slug":"nasas-lucy-spacecraft-prepares-second-asteroid-encounter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/?p=200284","title":{"rendered":"NASA\u2019s Lucy Spacecraft Prepares Second Asteroid Encounter"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>NASA\u2019s Lucy spacecraft is 6 days and less than 50 million miles (80 million km) away from its second close encounter with an asteroid; this time, the small main belt asteroid Donaldjohanson.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NASA\u2019s Lucy Mission Will Explore Asteroid Donaldjohanson\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OL9_0sagfBg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/svs.gsfc.nasa.gov\/14821\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/svs.gsfc.nasa.gov\/14821\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Download high-resolution video and images from NASA\u2019s Scientific Visualization Studio.<br \/><\/a><strong>NASA\/Dan Gallagher<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This upcoming event represents a comprehensive \u201cdress rehearsal\u201d for Lucy\u2019s main mission over the next decade: the exploration of multiple Trojan asteroids that share Jupiter&#8217;s orbit around the Sun. Lucy\u2019s first asteroid encounter \u2013 a flyby of the tiny main belt asteroid Dinkinesh and its satellite, Selam, on Nov. 1, 2023 \u2013 provided the team with an opportunity for a systems test that they will be building on during the upcoming flyby.<\/p>\n<p>Lucy\u2019s closest approach to Donaldjohanson will occur at 1:51pm EDT on April 20, at a distance of 596 miles (960 km). About 30 minutes before closest approach, Lucy will orient itself to track the asteroid, during which its high-gain antenna will turn away from Earth, suspending communication. Guided by its terminal tracking system, Lucy will autonomously rotate to keep Donaldjohanson in view. As it does this, Lucy will carry out a more complicated observing sequence than was used at Dinkinesh. All three science instruments \u2013 the high-resolution greyscale imager called L\u2019LORRI, the color imager and infrared spectrometer called L\u2019Ralph, and the far infrared spectrometer called L\u2019TES \u2013 will carry out observation sequences very similar to the ones that will occur at the Trojan asteroids.<\/p>\n<p>However, unlike with Dinkinesh, Lucy will stop tracking Donaldjohanson 40 seconds before the closest approach to protect its sensitive instruments from intense sunlight.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you were sitting on the asteroid watching the Lucy spacecraft approaching, you would have to shield your eyes staring at the Sun while waiting for Lucy to emerge from the glare.&nbsp;After Lucy passes the asteroid, the positions will be reversed, so we have to shield the instruments in the same way,\u201d said encounter phase lead Michael Vincent of Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) in Boulder, Colorado. \u201cThese instruments are designed to photograph objects illuminated by sunlight 25 times dimmer than at Earth, so looking toward the Sun could damage our cameras.\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately, this is the only one of Lucy\u2019s seven asteroid encounters with this challenging geometry. During the Trojan encounters, as with Dinkinesh, the spacecraft will be able to collect data throughout the entire encounter.<\/p>\n<p>After closest approach, the spacecraft will \u201cpitch back,\u201d reorienting its solar arrays back toward the Sun. Approximately an hour later, the spacecraft will re-establish communication with Earth.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the weird things to wrap your brain around with these deep space missions is how slow the speed of light is,\u201d continued Vincent.&nbsp;\u201cLucy is 12.5 light minutes away from Earth, meaning it takes that long for any signal we send to reach the spacecraft.&nbsp;Then it takes another 12.5 minutes before we get Lucy\u2019s response telling us we were heard.&nbsp;So, when we command the data playback after closest approach, it takes 25 minutes from when we ask to see the pictures before we get any of them to the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Once the spacecraft&#8217;s health is confirmed, engineers will command Lucy to transmit the science data from the encounter back to Earth, which is a process that will take several days.<\/p>\n<p>Donaldjohanson is a fragment from a collision 150 million years ago, making it one of the youngest main belt asteroids ever visited by a spacecraft.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEvery asteroid has a different story to tell, and these stories weave together to paint the history of our solar system,\u201d said Tom Statler, Lucy mission program scientist at NASA Headquarters in Washington. \u201cThe fact that each new asteroid we visit knocks our socks off means we\u2019re only beginning to understand the depth and richness of that history. Telescopic observations are hinting that Donaldjohanson is going to have an interesting story, and I\u2019m fully expecting to be surprised \u2013 again.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, designed and built the L\u2019Ralph instrument and provides overall mission management, systems engineering and safety and mission assurance for Lucy. Hal Levison of SwRI&#8217;s office in Boulder, Colorado, is the principal investigator. SwRI, headquartered in San Antonio, also leads the science team and the mission\u2019s science observation planning and data processing. Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, built the spacecraft, designed the original orbital trajectory and provides flight operations. Goddard and KinetX Aerospace are responsible for navigating the Lucy spacecraft. The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, designed and built the L\u2019LORRI (Lucy Long Range Reconnaissance Imager) instrument. Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona, designed and build the L\u2019TES (Lucy Thermal Emission Spectrometer) instrument. Lucy is the thirteenth mission in NASA\u2019s Discovery Program, which is managed by NASA\u2019s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.<\/p>\n<p>By Katherine Kretke, Southwest Research Institute<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Media Contact:<\/strong><\/em><br \/><em>Karen Fox \/ Molly Wasser<\/em><br \/><em>Headquarters, Washington<\/em><br \/><em>202-358-1600<\/em><br \/><a href=\"mailto:karen.c.fox@nasa.gov\"><em>karen.c.fox@nasa.gov<\/em><\/a><em>&nbsp;\/&nbsp;<\/em><a href=\"mailto:molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov\"><em>molly.l.wasser@nasa.gov<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"mailto:nancy.n.jones@nasa.gov\"><em><strong>Nancy N. Jones<\/strong><\/em><\/a><br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/goddard\"><em><strong>NASA\u2019s Goddard Space Flight Center<\/strong><\/em><\/a><em><strong>, Greenbelt, Md.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-full width-full maxw-full padding-x-3 padding-y-0 article_a hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-credits-and-details\">\n<section class=\"padding-x-0 padding-top-5 padding-bottom-2 desktop:padding-top-7 desktop:padding-bottom-9\">\n<div class=\"grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0\">\n<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-2 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black\">\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Share<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"padding-bottom-2\">\n<ul class=\"social-icons social-icons-round\">\n<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-x\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/tweet?via=NASA&#038;text=NASA%E2%80%99s%20Lucy%20Spacecraft%20Prepares%20Second%20Asteroid%20Encounter&#038;%23038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fmissions%2Flucy%2Fnasas-lucy-spacecraft-prepares-second-asteroid-encounter%2F\" aria-label=\"Share on X.\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"1200\" height=\"1227\" viewBox=\"0 0 1200 1227\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M714.163 519.284L1160.89 0H1055.03L667.137 450.887L357.328 0H0L468.492 681.821L0 1226.37H105.866L515.491 750.218L842.672 1226.37H1200L714.137 519.284H714.163ZM569.165 687.828L521.697 619.934L144.011 79.6944H306.615L611.412 515.685L658.88 583.579L1055.08 1150.3H892.476L569.165 687.854V687.828Z\" fill=\"white\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-facebook\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fmissions%2Flucy%2Fnasas-lucy-spacecraft-prepares-second-asteroid-encounter%2F\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook.\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M9 8h-3v4h3v12h5v-12h3.642l.358-4h-4v-1.667c0-.955.192-1.333 1.115-1.333h2.885v-5h-3.808c-3.596 0-5.192 1.583-5.192 4.615v3.385z\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-linkedin\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&#038;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fmissions%2Flucy%2Fnasas-lucy-spacecraft-prepares-second-asteroid-encounter%2F\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn.\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M4.98 3.5c0 1.381-1.11 2.5-2.48 2.5s-2.48-1.119-2.48-2.5c0-1.38 1.11-2.5 2.48-2.5s2.48 1.12 2.48 2.5zm.02 4.5h-5v16h5v-16zm7.982 0h-4.968v16h4.969v-8.399c0-4.67 6.029-5.052 6.029 0v8.399h4.988v-10.131c0-7.88-8.922-7.593-11.018-3.714v-2.155z\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-rss\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feed\/\" aria-label=\"Subscribe to RSS feed.\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 800 800\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M493 652H392c0-134-111-244-244-244V307c189 0 345 156 345 345zm71 0c0-228-188-416-416-416V132c285 0 520 235 520 520z\"\/><circle cx=\"219\" cy=\"581\" r=\"71\"\/><\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-5 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black\">\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Details<\/h2>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-row margin-bottom-3\">\n<div class=\"grid-col-4\">\n<div class=\"subheading\">Last Updated<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-col-8\">Apr 14, 2025<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-row margin-bottom-3\">\n<div class=\"grid-col-4\">\n<div class=\"subheading\">Editor<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-col-8\">Madison Olson<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-row margin-bottom-3\">\n<div class=\"grid-col-4\">\n<div class=\"subheading\">Contact<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-col-8\">\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-3\">\n<div>Nancy N. Jones<\/div>\n<div><a href=\"mailto:na&#110;cy&#038;%2346;n&#038;%2346;j&#038;%23111;n&#038;%23101;&#038;%23115;&#038;%2364;&#038;%23110;&#038;%2397;sa.&#038;%23103;o&#038;%23118;\">&#110;a&#110;&#99;y.n.jo&#110;&#101;&#115;&#64;&#110;a&#115;&#97;&#46;go&#118;<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-row\">\n<div class=\"grid-col-4\">\n<div class=\"subheading\">Location<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-col-8\">Goddard Space Flight Center<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-5 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black \">\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Related Terms<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<ul class=\"article-tags\">\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/mission\/lucy\" rel=\"noopener\">Lucy<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/goddard\/\">Goddard Space Flight Center<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/planetary-science\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Planetary Science<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-full width-full maxw-full padding-x-3 padding-y-0 hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-related-articles\">\n<section class=\"hds-related-articles padding-x-0 padding-y-3 desktop:padding-top-7 desktop:padding-bottom-9\">\n<div class=\"w-100 grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0 text-align-left\">\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-4\">\n<h2 style=\"max-width: 100%;\" class=\"width-full w-full maxw-full\">Explore More<\/h2>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0\">\n<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/goddard\/new-modeling-assesses-age-of-next-target-asteroid-for-nasas-lucy\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"196\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/dj-asteroid-comparison.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/dj-asteroid-comparison.jpg 7161w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/dj-asteroid-comparison.jpg?resize=300,196 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/dj-asteroid-comparison.jpg?resize=768,503 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/dj-asteroid-comparison.jpg?resize=1024,670 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/dj-asteroid-comparison.jpg?resize=1536,1005 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/dj-asteroid-comparison.jpg?resize=2048,1340 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/dj-asteroid-comparison.jpg?resize=400,262 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/dj-asteroid-comparison.jpg?resize=600,393 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/dj-asteroid-comparison.jpg?resize=900,589 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/dj-asteroid-comparison.jpg?resize=1200,785 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/dj-asteroid-comparison.jpg?resize=2000,1309 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">4 min read<\/div>\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\">\n<h3 class=\"related-article-title\">New Modeling Assesses Age of Next Target Asteroid for NASA\u2019s Lucy<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t4 weeks ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/goddard\/nasas-lucy-spacecraft-takes-its-1st-images-of-asteroid-donaldjohanson\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/dj-firstrelease-v2.gif?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">3 min read<\/div>\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\">\n<h3 class=\"related-article-title\">NASA\u2019s Lucy Spacecraft Takes Its 1st Images of Asteroid Donaldjohanson<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2 months ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/solar-system\/nasas-lucy-asteroid-target-gets-a-name\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"169\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/dinkinesh_size_compare_v2.png?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/dinkinesh_size_compare_v2.png 3840w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/dinkinesh_size_compare_v2.png?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/dinkinesh_size_compare_v2.png?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/dinkinesh_size_compare_v2.png?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/dinkinesh_size_compare_v2.png?resize=1536,864 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/dinkinesh_size_compare_v2.png?resize=2048,1152 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/dinkinesh_size_compare_v2.png?resize=400,225 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/dinkinesh_size_compare_v2.png?resize=600,338 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/dinkinesh_size_compare_v2.png?resize=900,506 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/dinkinesh_size_compare_v2.png?resize=1200,675 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/dinkinesh_size_compare_v2.png?resize=2000,1125 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">3 min read<\/div>\n<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\">\n<h3 class=\"related-article-title\">NASA\u2019s Lucy Asteroid Target Gets a Name<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2 years ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>NASA\u2019s Lucy spacecraft is 6 days and less than 50 million miles (80 million km) away from its second close encounter with an asteroid; this time, the small main belt asteroid Donaldjohanson. This upcoming event represents a comprehensive \u201cdress rehearsal\u201d for Lucy\u2019s main mission over the next decade: the exploration of multiple Trojan asteroids that [\u2026]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":1,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15614,15902,15677],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-200284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-goddard-space-flight-center","category-lucy","category-planetary-science"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=200284"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200284\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":200653,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/200284\/revisions\/200653"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=200284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=200284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vibewire.com.au\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=200284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}