Share with friends and circle of friends with wechat scanning QR code < / P > < p > on October 11, NASA's asteroid exploration spacecraft "Lucy" plans to launch this week to start a 12-year mission to explore the early history of the solar system. < / P > < p > < / P > < p > "Lucy" The scientific exploration spacecraft is scheduled to launch from the space coast of Florida on Saturday local time. The unmanned spacecraft will make a 12-year journey through the solar system and visit eight asteroids, seven of which are Trojan asteroids sharing an orbit with Jupiter. < / P > < p > this mission will include many "firsts": "Lucy" It will become the first spacecraft to visit asteroids outside the solar system and the first spacecraft to fly over the earth from the outer solar system. In addition, the mission will also provide scientists with more data to understand the early history of the universe. < / P > < p > NASA said: "no other space mission in history has so many different destinations." "Lucy will show us for the first time the diversity of primitive celestial bodies that built planets." < / P > < p > "Lucy" scientific exploration spacecraft is named after a famous early Australopithecus skeleton. This skeleton has a history of about 3.2 million years, and its discovery has always been known as the basis for understanding human evolution. NASA's report on "Lucy" in 2017 In the introduction of the mission, it is said that the skeleton itself is named after the word "Lucy" in the 1967 Beatles classic song Lucy in the sky with diamonds. In 1974, archaeologists danced with the song when they found the skeleton of Australopithecus. < / P > < p > NASA also started from "Lucy" representing the origin of human beings Draw inspiration from the skeleton to name a space exploration mission aimed at enabling humans to know more about the origin of the solar system. < / P > < p > Harold Levison, chief researcher of the "Lucy" program of the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), said in a statement in 2017: "In terms of their scientific value, these asteroids are really like diamonds in the sky, helping to explore how giant planets formed and how the solar system evolved." Levison suggested naming the mission after the bones of Australopithecus. < / P > < p > in "Lucy" During its 12-year journey, it will visit at least eight different asteroids and fly over the earth three times, two before going to the periphery of the solar system and one after going to the periphery of the solar system to accelerate with the help of earth's gravity. "Lucy" One asteroid planned to visit is located in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, while the other seven are Trojan asteroids. It is worth noting that four of the seven Trojan asteroids are paired, which makes "Lucy" The spacecraft can observe two asteroids at a time. < / P > < p > the goal of this mission includes a series of different types of asteroids. Among them, there are type C asteroids mainly composed of clay and silicate, which are also the most common ancient asteroids; there may also be type D asteroids rich in organic matter and with lower reflectance and type P asteroids with lower reflectance. Scientists believe that type P asteroids It may also be rich in organic matter, but there is no sample to confirm this. < / P > < p > Lucy plans to visit asteroids 52246 Donald Johanson, 3547 eurybates and satellites queta, 15094 polymele, 11351 leucus, 21900 orus and binary 617 Patroclus / menoetius successively. < / P > < p > NASA shows: "The dark red p-type and D-type Trojan asteroids are similar to the icy asteroids found in the Kuiper belt outside Neptune's orbit." "most of the C-type asteroids are located on the periphery of the asteroid main belt between Mars and Jupiter. Scientists believe that all" Lucy " The Trojan asteroids to visit are rich in dark carbon compounds. The asteroid's dust layer may be rich in water and other volatile substances. "< / P > < p >" Lucy " The spacecraft will carry a variety of scientific exploration instruments, including a color visible light imager for determining the composition of asteroids; a long-range reconnaissance imager for obtaining high-resolution images of asteroid surfaces; a thermal radiation spectrometer for detecting the heat of Trojan asteroids; a terminal tracking camera for obtaining wide-angle images of small planets and determining their shapes; and a camera for determining each small row High gain antenna with star mass. < / P > < p > asteroids and comets are small bodies left over from the formation of the solar system about 4.5 billion years ago. Studying the composition, orbit and other contents of asteroids can let scientists know more about how planets in the solar system form. < / P > < P > "Lucy" The spacecraft will also be combined with recent asteroid exploration missions. For example, NASA's Osiris Rex mission is currently returning to earth with samples of asteroid beno, while Japan's Falcon II mission has brought dust samples from the asteroid Dragon Palace back to earth by the end of 2020. Scientists will take "Lucy" The observation results of the spacecraft on the Trojan asteroid are compared with the data of the two near Earth Asteroids, which provides a new way to understand the solar system. (Chenchen) < / P > < p >