NASA's asteroid investigator Lucy tests out its four cameras

NASA’s Lucy mission launched final yr on its journey to the Trojan asteroids, situated within the orbit of Jupiter. Regardless of a difficulty with considered one of its photo voltaic arrays, the spacecraft has been touring as hoped and is on its technique to research the traditional asteroids with the purpose to be taught extra about how the photo voltaic system fashioned. Now, NASA has shared among the first photographs taken by Lucy’s devices as a part of their calibration course of.

Lucy has a complete of 4 cameras, together with the 2 twin Terminal Monitoring Cameras (T2CAM), which have a large area of view and are used to lock onto asteroids and level the opposite devices in the correct path as Lucy performs shut flybys of them. The opposite cameras are the Multicolor Seen Imaging Digicam (MVIC) which is able to take panorama-like photographs, and the Lengthy-Vary Reconnaissance Imager (L’LORRI) which is able to take high-resolution, up-close photographs of the asteroids. Along with its cameras, Lucy additionally has a spectrometer and an instrument for mapping temperature.

With an exposure time of 10 seconds, the Rosette Nebula is just visible in the lower right of center of the T2CAM frame. — With an publicity time of 10 seconds, the Rosette Nebula is simply seen within the decrease proper of middle of the T2CAM body. NASA/Goddard/SwRI

These calibration photographs had been taken in February this yr, as a part of a process that concerned pointing the spacecraft devices towards 11 completely different targets to verify each that the spacecraft might level appropriately and that the devices had been sufficiently delicate and correct. This was the second set of calibration photographs taken, after a preliminary however a lot much less detailed set of photographs had been taken quickly after launch in November 2021.

The faintest visible stars in this raw L’LORRI image are roughly 17th magnitude, 50,000 times fainter than the unaided human eye can see. Image brightness levels have been adjusted to enhance visibility of faint stars. The exposure time was 10 seconds. Keen observers will notice that the stars are slightly elongated in this relatively unprocessed image; the Lucy team has techniques to mitigate this effect, and the optical quality is sufficient for accomplishing the science goals of the mission. — The faintest seen stars on this uncooked L’LORRI picture are roughly seventeenth magnitude, 50,000 occasions fainter than the unaided human eye can see. Picture brightness ranges have been adjusted to boost visibility of faint stars. The publicity time was 10 seconds. Eager observers will discover that the celebs are barely elongated on this comparatively unprocessed picture; the Lucy crew has methods to mitigate this impact, and the optical high quality is ample for undertaking the science objectives of the mission. NASA/Goddard/SwRI/Johns Hopkins APL

The pictures present that the devices are working properly and are prepared for his or her encounter with the Trojan asteroids, the place Lucy is about to reach in 2027.

“We began engaged on the Lucy mission idea early in 2014, so this launch has been lengthy within the making,” mentioned Lucy’s principal investigator, Hal Levison of the Southwest Analysis Institute within the institute’s 2021 annual report. “It can nonetheless be a number of years earlier than we get to the primary Trojan asteroid, however these objects are definitely worth the wait and all the trouble due to their immense scientific worth. They’re like diamonds within the sky.”