BOULDER, Colo. (AP) - NASA has chosen Boulder’s Southwest Research Institute to lead a Discovery mission to perform the first survey of the Trojans, a population of asteroids orbiting with Jupiter.
The Daily Camera reports (https://bit.ly/2jcpNqI ) that the spacecraft, named Lucy, will launch in 2021 to study six of the asteroids.
Chief scientist with the Boulder institute, Harold Levinson, called the mission a “unique opportunity.” He says in a statement the asteroids “hold vital clues to deciphering the history of the solar system.”
Scientists will use the Lockheed Martin spacecraft and remote-sensing technology to get a close-up view of the asteroids.
After its 2021 launch, Lucy will go on to study six Trojans and one main-belt asteroid. It’s scheduled to hit its targets between 2025 and 2033.
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Information from: Daily Camera, https://www.dailycamera.com/
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