NASA's Lucy spacecraft sets milestone with successful flyby of asteroid Dinkinesh, unlocking secrets of our solar system's past

NASA's Lucy spacecraft has achieved a significant milestone in its mission to uncover secrets about our solar system's past. On November 1, it successfully completed a flyby of asteroid Dinkinesh, also known as 'Dinky', which is located in the main belt between Mars and Jupiter. This marks the first of 10 asteroids that Lucy will visit over the next 12 years. Following the flyby, NASA officials confirmed that the spacecraft is in good health, as stated in a blog post. The team has initiated the process of downlinking the data collected during the encounter. This data is of great interest to scientists, as it will provide valuable insights into the composition and characteristics of Dinkinesh.

While Lucy will pass by a few nearby asteroids like Dinky, its primary objective is to explore more distant Trojan asteroids that orbit the sun alongside Jupiter. These Trojan asteroids are believed to be ancient remnants of our solar system, offering clues about its formation and evolution. Scientists compare them to extra Lego bricks from the box that built the planets. The flyby of Dinkinesh serves as a test run for Lucy's instruments, which include a color imager, high-resolution camera, and infrared spectrometer. These tools have been put to the test while collecting data about the asteroid during the encounter. It will take approximately one week for the data to be transmitted back to Earth, allowing the team to analyze the spacecraft's performance during its first high-speed asteroid encounter.

Following this achievement, Lucy will return to Earth to receive a gravity assist, propelling it towards its next target: asteroid 52246 Donaldjohanson. This asteroid is named after American paleoanthropologist Donald Johanson, co-discoverer of the Lucy fossil, which represents one of the earliest human ancestors. The name Dinkinesh, associated with the Lucy fossil, translates to "you are marvelous, as you are." NASA's Lucy mission continues to pave the way for unraveling the mysteries of our solar system, as it embarks on its journey to visit the ancient Trojan asteroids and expand our understanding of the universe we inhabit.