NASA spacecraft zooms by strange asteroid, beams back images

Published: Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at 9:00 am

NASA's Lucy Spacecraft Snaps Stunning Images of Asteroid Donaldjohanson

Get ready for a cosmic adventure! NASA's Lucy spacecraft, on a mission to explore the mysterious Trojan asteroids, recently zipped past the intriguing asteroid "Donaldjohanson," capturing some incredible images. This flyby, a crucial "dress rehearsal," provided a sneak peek at Lucy's impressive capabilities.

The Lucy spacecraft, traveling at a blistering 30,000 mph, got within 600 miles of Donaldjohanson, a five-mile-wide asteroid named after the discoverer of the famous Lucy hominid fossil. The images reveal a unique "contact binary" shape, resembling two nested ice cream cones connected by a narrow neck. Scientists were particularly surprised by this unusual structure.

While Donaldjohanson isn't the primary target of the Lucy mission, these early images offer valuable insights into the formation of primordial space objects. Lucy's main goal is to reach the Trojan asteroids, two swarms of ancient space rocks trapped near Jupiter. These Trojans, believed to be remnants from the early solar system, could hold the key to understanding how our planets, including Earth, were formed. Lucy is equipped with powerful cameras, including the LLORRI, to study these fascinating celestial bodies. The mission's first Trojan encounter is scheduled for August 2027, with the asteroid Eurybates. This mission promises to unlock secrets of our solar system's history.

Keywords: NASA, Lucy spacecraft, Donaldjohanson, asteroid, Trojan asteroids, Jupiter, solar system, planetary science, LLORRI, Eurybates, space exploration, contact binary, asteroid images, asteroid formation, space rocks, NASA mission

Full Coverage