#spaceexploration – by @newsoftheuniverse on Instagram
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\ »NASA BEGINS PLANNING OF TWO NEW MISSIONS\ »
NASA has announced plans to pursue two new missions that will allow scientists to investigate one of the earliest eras in the history of our solar system. The two missions, known as Lucy and Psyche, were chosen from five finalists and have a goal of launching in 2021 and 2023 respectively.
“Lucy will visit a target-rich environment of Jupiter’s mysterious Trojan asteroids, while Psyche will study a unique metal asteroid that’s never been visited before,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
Lucy, a robotic spacecraft, is scheduled to launch in October 2021 and will arrive at its first destination, a main belt asteroid, in 2025. From 2027 to 2033, Lucy is expected to explore six Jupiter Trojan asteroids – asteroids trapped by Jupiter’s gravity in two groups, one in front of the planet’s orbit, the other behind. Trojans are thought to be relics from an era much earl