NASA’s Latest Mission to Explore Asteroids Near Jupiter’s Orbit

The latest mission of the American space agency, NASA, will explore a group of ancient objects orbiting the sun at the distance of Jupiter.

Set to launch October 16, the Lucy spacecraft is designed to study Jupiter's "Trojan" asteroids².

These asteroids are small bodies left over from the formation of our solar system's large planets. They share an orbit with Jupiter as the planet goes around the sun.

The mission's aim is to gather new information about the solar system's formation 4.5 billion years ago.

Lucy will observe eight asteroids over 12 years. One orbits in what is known as the Asteroid¹ Belt, an area between Mars and Jupiter. Most known asteroids orbit within this area.

The spacecraft will also observe seven Trojan asteroids. The Trojans circle the sun in two groups. One group leads Jupiter in its orbital path, while the other follows behind it. Lucy will be the first spacecraft to visit these asteroids. There are believed to be more than 7,000 Trojan asteroids.

Scientists consider the Trojan asteroids to be the ancient remains³ of the formation of the solar system. They have stayed captured in Jupiter's orbit for billions of years. Scientists hope that the NASA mission can provide new details about what conditions were like when the planets formed. They also hope the mission will lead to a better understanding of our own planet's history.

The spacecraft was named Lucy after the ancient fossil discovered in Ethiopia in 1974. Lucy was one of the most famous scientific finds of the 20th century. The collection of skeletal bones gave scientists a better understanding of the evolution of humans.

Cathy Olkin is a planetary scientist at the Southwest Research Institute in Colorado. She is the deputy lead investigator⁴ for the Lucy mission. In a video explaining the mission, Olkin compared the NASA spacecraft to the Lucy fossil.

"Just like the Lucy fossil transformed our understanding of (human) evolution, the Lucy mission will transform our understanding of solar system evolution," she said.

The spacecraft, built by NASA contractor⁵ Lockheed Martin, is expected to fly within 400 kilometers of its targets.

The spacecraft is equipped with several imaging instruments designed to capture information about the composition of materials on the surface of asteroids. Other equipment will be used to record asteroid surface temperatures and measure the size of the objects the spacecraft observes.

Lucy will depend on solar power to operate. NASA says the mission expects to set a record because Lucy will be deployed⁶ farther from the sun than any past solar powered spacecraft.

Hal Levison is the mission's chief scientist. He recently told reporters that although the Trojan asteroids are in a very small area of space, they are physically⁷ different from each another.

"For example, they have very different colors, some are grey, some are red," Levison said. He added that these differences suggest how far away from the Sun they might have formed before getting to their current positions.

Lori Glaze⁸ is the director of NASA's planetary science division. She said: "Whatever Lucy finds will give us vital clues about the formation of our solar system."

Words in This Story

mission – n. an important project or trip, especially involving space travel

asteroid – n. one of many large rocks that circle the sun

fossil – n. part of an animal or plant from thousands of year ago, preserved as minerals in rock

evolution – n. a gradual process of change and development

transform – v. to change something completely, usually to improve it

composition – n. the parts, substances, etc. that something is made up of

vital – adj. necessary or important

1 asteroid   

n.小行星；海盘车(动物)

参考例句：

• Astronomers have yet to witness an asteroid impact with another planet.天文学家还没有目击过小行星撞击其它行星。
• It's very unlikely that an asteroid will crash into Earth but the danger exists.小行星撞地球的可能性很小，但这样的危险还是存在的。

2 asteroids   

n.小行星( asteroid的名词复数 )；海盘车，海星

参考例句：

• Asteroids,also known as "minor planets",are numerous in the outer space. 小行星，亦称为“小型行星”，在外太空中不计其数。
• Most stars probably have their quota of planets, meteorids, comets, and asteroids. 多数恒星也许还拥有若干行星、流星、彗星和小行星。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 investigator   

n.研究者，调查者，审查者

参考例句：

• He was a special investigator for the FBI.他是联邦调查局的特别调查员。
• The investigator was able to deduce the crime and find the criminal.调查者能够推出犯罪过程并锁定罪犯。

5 contractor   

n.订约人，承包人，收缩肌

参考例句：

• The Tokyo contractor was asked to kick $ 6000 back as commission.那个东京的承包商被要求退还6000美元作为佣金。
• The style of house the contractor builds depends partly on the lay of the land.承包商所建房屋的式样，有几分要看地势而定。

6 deployed   

（尤指军事行动）使展开( deploy的过去式和过去分词 )； 施展； 部署； 有效地利用

参考例句：

• Tanks have been deployed all along the front line. 沿整个前线已部署了坦克。
• The artillery was deployed to bear on the fort. 火炮是对着那个碉堡部署的。

7 physically   

adj.物质上，体格上，身体上，按自然规律

参考例句：

• He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服，心绪也很乱。
• Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。

8 glaze   

v.因疲倦、疲劳等指眼睛变得呆滞，毫无表情

参考例句：

• Brush the glaze over the top and sides of the hot cake.在热蛋糕的顶上和周围刷上一层蛋浆。
• Tang three-color glaze horses are famous for their perfect design and realism.唐三彩上釉马以其造型精美和形态生动而著名。