Uploaded December 2024 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
NASA’s Lucy mission is heading to the Jupiter Trojans, two swarms of asteroids trapped in Jupiter’s orbit…but to get there, Lucy needs a little help from Earth. On December 12, 2024, the spacecraft will make its second close flyby of Earth (following an earlier gravity assist in October 2022). As night falls on Hawaii, Lucy will streak over the darkened Pacific Ocean, coming to within about 220 miles of the planet at 11:15 pm ET. The encounter will boost Lucy’s velocity by four-and-a-half miles per second relative to the Sun, putting it on course for the L4 Trojans that travel ahead of Jupiter.
Read more on the Lucy blog: blogs.nasa.gov/lucy/2024/12/10/nasas-lucy-spacecraft-prepares-for-second-earth-gravity-assist
Learn about gravity assists: youtube.com/shorts/5Bm9RDp07aQ?feature=share
Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Dan Gallagher: Producer/Narrator
Kel Elkins: Data Visualizer
Walt Feimer: Animator
Adriana Manrique Gutierrez: Animator
Jonathan North: Animator
Dan Gallagher: Animator
Katherine Kretke: Public Affairs
Nancy Jones: Public Affairs
Kathryn Mersmann: Support
Aaron E. Lepsch: Technical Support
Universal Production Music: “Determined Arrival 4-5” by Joel Goodman [ASCAP]; “Floating” by Nicholas Smith [PRS]; “Subtle Confidence 3” by Joel Goodman [ASCAP]
This video can be freely shared and downloaded at svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14734. While the video in its entirety can be shared without permission, the music and some individual imagery may have been obtained through permission and may not be excised or remixed in other products. Specific details on such imagery may be found here: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14734. For more information on NASA’s media guidelines, visit nasa.gov/multimedia/guidelines.
If you liked this video, subscribe to the NASA Goddard YouTube channel: youtube.com/NASAGoddard
Follow NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
· Instagram: instagram.com/nasagoddard
· X: twitter.com/NASAGoddard
· Facebook: facebook.com/NASAGoddard
· Flickr: flickr.com/photos/gsfc
NASA’s Lucy mission is heading to the Jupiter Trojans, two swarms of asteroids trapped in Jupiter’s orbit…but to get there, Lucy needs a little help from Earth. On December 12, 2024, the spacecraft will make its second close flyby of Earth (following an earlier gravity assist in October 2022). As night falls on Hawaii, Lucy will streak over the darkened Pacific Ocean, coming to within about 220 miles of the planet at 11:15 pm ET. The encounter will boost Lucy’s velocity by four-and-a-half miles per second relative to the Sun, putting it on course for the L4 Trojans that travel ahead of Jupiter.
Read more on the Lucy blog: blogs.nasa.gov/lucy/2024/12/10/nasas-lucy-spacecraft-prepares-for-second-earth-gravity-assist
Learn about gravity assists: youtube.com/shorts/5Bm9RDp07aQ?feature=share
Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Dan Gallagher: Producer/Narrator
Kel Elkins: Data Visualizer
Walt Feimer: Animator
Adriana Manrique Gutierrez: Animator
Jonathan North: Animator
Dan Gallagher: Animator
Katherine Kretke: Public Affairs
Nancy Jones: Public Affairs
Kathryn Mersmann: Support
Aaron E. Lepsch: Technical Support
Universal Production Music: “Determined Arrival 4-5” by Joel Goodman [ASCAP]; “Floating” by Nicholas Smith [PRS]; “Subtle Confidence 3” by Joel Goodman [ASCAP]
This video can be freely shared and downloaded at svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14734. While the video in its entirety can be shared without permission, the music and some individual imagery may have been obtained through permission and may not be excised or remixed in other products. Specific details on such imagery may be found here: svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14734. For more information on NASA’s media guidelines, visit nasa.gov/multimedia/guidelines.
If you liked this video, subscribe to the NASA Goddard YouTube channel: youtube.com/NASAGoddard
Follow NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
· Instagram: instagram.com/nasagoddard
· X: twitter.com/NASAGoddard
· Facebook: facebook.com/NASAGoddard
· Flickr: flickr.com/photos/gsfc
