Lucy Earth Gravity Assist Trajectory Visualizations

  • Released Thursday, October 13th, 2022
  • Updated Wednesday, May 3rd, 2023 at 11:43AM
  • ID: 5044

Ride-along view of Lucy’s first Earth gravity assist (EGA). The camera follows Lucy as the spacecraft approaches the sunlit side of Earth before crossing into Earth’s shadow as it slingshots around the planet.

NASA’s Lucy mission is heading to the Jupiter Trojans – two swarms of primitive asteroids trapped in Jupiter’s orbit that may hold clues to the formation of the planets. Lucy launched on October 16, 2021. After a year in orbit around the Sun, it is returning home on its launch anniversary for the first of three Earth gravity assists. On October 16, 2022, Lucy will fly by the Earth like a partner in a swing dance, boosting its speed and elongating its orbit around the Sun. At 7:04 am, Eastern Time, Lucy will make its closest approach at just 219 miles above the planet: lower than the International Space Station. This exceptionally close shave will increase its velocity by four-and-a-half miles per second, setting Lucy on track to gain even more speed when it returns to Earth for a second gravity assist in December 2024.

This visualization compares Lucy’s EGA1 trajectory (turquoise) with all active satellites (shown in white).

Top-down view of Lucy’s EGA1 trajectory with the Moon’s orbit.

A view of Lucy’s EGA1 trajectory over Australia

Ride-along view of Lucy’s first Earth gravity assist (EGA). The camera follows Lucy as the spacecraft approaches the sunlit side of Earth before crossing into Earth’s shadow as it slingshots around the planet. This is a slower version of the full ride along view above, focusing on the approach.

Ride-along view of Lucy’s first Earth gravity assist (EGA). The camera follows Lucy as the spacecraft approaches the sunlit side of Earth before crossing into Earth’s shadow as it slingshots around the planet. This is a slower version of the full ride along view above, focusing on the closest approach.

Credits

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NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio

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