Lucy Earth Gravity Assist Trajectory Visualizations
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- Visualizations by:
- Kel Elkins
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- Produced by:
- Dan Gallagher
- View full credits
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.
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
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio
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Visualizer
- Kel Elkins (USRA) [Lead]
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Scientist
- Katherine Kretke (SwRI)
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Producer
- Dan Gallagher (KBR Wyle Services, LLC) [Lead]
Datasets used in this visualization
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CelesTrak Spacecraft Orbit Ephemeris
ID: 454This dataset can be found at: http://celestrak.com
See all pages that use this dataset -
SPICE Ephemerides (SPICE Ephemerides)
ID: 755Satellite and planetary ephemerides
See all pages that use this dataset
Note: While we identify the data sets used in these visualizations, we do not store any further details, nor the data sets themselves on our site.