露西发射到八颗小行星
(原标题: Lucy Launches to Eight Asteroids)
2021-10-20
浏览次数: 30
为什么这个任务要飞到木星那么远，却没有访问木星？“露西”号的计划是沿着不同的线索探索太阳系的起源，而不是在木星上找到的线索——朱诺号现在绕木星运行。木星是一颗巨大的行星，它的引力吸引了许多在它前面和后面绕太阳运行的小行星。这些特洛伊小行星遍布我们的太阳系，有些可能已经被困在那里数十亿年了。飞越这些特洛伊小行星可以将它们作为化石来研究，这些化石可能为我们早期的太阳系提供了独特的线索。“露西”以一具著名的骨骼化石命名，而骨骼化石又以一首著名的歌曲命名。它计划在2025年至2033年期间访问8颗小行星。这张照片是上周在美国佛罗里达州卡纳维拉尔角发射的强大的阿特拉斯5号火箭上拍摄的露西发射的反射照片。
查看原文解释
Why would this mission go out as far as Jupiter -- but then not visit Jupiter? Lucy's plan is to follow different leads about the origin of our Solar System than can be found at Jupiter -- where Juno now orbits. Jupiter is such a massive planet that its gravity captures numerous asteroids that orbit the Sun ahead of it -- and behind. These trojan asteroids formed all over our Solar System and some may have been trapped there for billions of years. Flying by these trojan asteroids enables studying them as fossils that likely hold unique clues about our early Solar System. Lucy, named after a famous fossil skeleton which was named after a famous song, is scheduled to visit eight asteroids from 2025 to 2033. Pictured, Lucy's launch was captured with reflection last week aboard a powerful Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA.
© John Kraus