Lucy Spacecraft Seizes First Images of Asteroid Donaldjohanson

NASA’s Lucy spacecraft is on an exciting journey to explore the outer solar system, and it has just taken its first pictures of the asteroid called Donaldjohanson. This is a big milestone for the mission as the spacecraft gets ready to pass by this small asteroid on April 20, 2025.

The images were captured on February 20 and 22. They show Donaldjohanson moving against the background of distant stars. This is an important achievement for Lucy as it comes closer to one of its main destinations.

The flyby of asteroid Donaldjohanson is a key event for NASA’s Lucy mission. This encounter is like a practice run for the spacecraft’s future visits to the Jupiter Trojan asteroids, which have never been studied before. On April 20, Lucy will be about 596 miles (960 kilometers) away from the asteroid. At this distance, the spacecraft will gather crucial data that will help guide it for other missions ahead. The goal of the mission is to learn about these ancient objects from the outer solar system, which have been trapped in orbit around Jupiter for billions of years.

The photos of Donaldjohanson were taken using Lucy’s high-resolution camera known as L’LORRI. Despite being 45 million miles (70 million kilometers) away from Donaldjohanson, the images provide a clear view of the asteroid amongst a field of stars in the constellation called Sextans. The way the asteroid shifts position between the two photos shows the spacecraft getting closer. Interestingly, another small asteroid briefly appeared in the images, but even from far away, Donaldjohanson will start to share more details as Lucy approaches.

The Lucy mission is named after the famous early human ancestor fossil discovered by anthropologist Donald Johanson, giving it both symbolic and scientific significance. The spacecraft’s ability to take high-quality images is set to provide valuable information that can enhance our understanding of asteroids and the origins of the solar system. Hal Levison, the principal investigator for Lucy at the Southwest Research Institute, has overseen the project’s development, which is managed by NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Studying asteroids like Donaldjohanson is important because they are like time capsules holding secrets about the early solar system. By examining these space rocks, scientists hope to learn more about how planets formed and the role these ancient objects played in shaping our current solar system. The focus on the Jupiter Trojan asteroids is particularly valuable, as this area of our solar system is still largely unexplored.

The Lucy mission is the 13th mission in NASA’s Discovery Program, and it is making significant progress in uncovering the mysteries of our solar system. With its cutting-edge imaging technology and carefully planned flybys, the Lucy spacecraft is setting the stage for future missions that will delve into some of the most distant and ancient objects in space. Through these explorations, we hope to not only learn more about the asteroids themselves but also gain insights into the history of our solar system and how it came to be.