7 facts about the University of Hawaiʻi's new asteroid mission
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Since the beginning of time, humans have looked up at the stars and dreamed of exploring the universe.
This dream is becoming more of a reality with each passing year and as scientists hone their skills.
One exciting project currently happening is NASA's Lucy mission, which is on a quest to learn more about asteroids orbiting near Jupiter known as Trojans. These asteroids are thought to be ancient remnants from the early solar system.
And the University of Hawaii has been selected to be a part of this history making adventure.
Here are some facts to know:
1. Emily Costello joins the team: Emily Costello who is a planetary scientist at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa is one of eight scientists who have been selected to help NASA study these asteroids. Her work focuses on understanding how meteor impacts have shaped the surfaces of these ancient space rocks. She is joining seven other scientists affiliated with universities and research companies from around the world.
'Impacts are a pervasive geological process on small bodies, so it is critical that we accurately decipher how these impacts shape the formation and evolution of the asteroids,' said Costello, who is a researcher at the Hawaiʻi Institute of Geophysics and Planetology in the UH Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST).
2. Trojan asteroids: The Jupiter Trojan asteroids are a group of small bodies that share an orbit with Jupiter around the Sun. These asteroids are important because they may hold clues about the early days of our solar system. The newly selected scientists will work closely with NASA and other mission team members to study the L4 Trojans during key flybys in 2027 and 2028.3. The role of impacts: Meteor impacts have changed the surface of these asteroids over billions of years. Costello will help NASA understand how these impacts mix up the surface layers and influence these asteroids' evolution.
'The history written and rewritten by impacts will influence the interpretation of all observations by the Lucy mission's scientific instruments that view Trojan surfaces,' Costello said. 'So, it's thrilling to be able to help interpret the first ever close-up look at these likely ancient asteroids.'
4. A 12-year mission: The Lucy spacecraft is on its way to study the L4 Trojan swarm. Launched in 2021, it will spend 12 years exploring the Trojan asteroids and other nearby space rocks. It will be the first mission to visit this group of asteroids and will help scientists gather valuable data about the formation of our solar system. Along the way, it will use gravity from Earth to help speed up its journey!
5. Named after a fossil: The mission is named after 'Lucy', the famous Ethiopian fossil of an early human ancestor, which helped scientists learn more about human evolution. Just like the fossil, the Lucy mission will help us understand the history of our solar system.
6. Groundbreaking mission: This group of scientists is the first selection of participating scientists for the Lucy mission, and they'll help guide the spacecraft's investigations over the next decade.
7. Joint endeavor: The Lucy mission is managed by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, and Lockheed Martin Space built and operates the spacecraft.
NASA's Lucy mission is a groundbreaking journey, and the L4 Trojans Participating Scientist Program plays a big role in answering the many questions scientists have about these mysterious space rocks.
This mission is truly a team effort, with scientists from around the world working together to answer some of space's most pressing questions!
You can click , and to learn more.
Get news on the go with KHON 2GO, KHON's morning podcast, every morning at 8
Their research will help uncover important information about the history and formation of our solar system. They will stay involved until 2030 and will continue to analyze the data Lucy sends back.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Digital Trends
32 minutes ago
- Digital Trends
Webb Telescope gets the star treatment in new NASA documentary
The pages of Digital Trends are filled with breathtaking images of deep space captured by the James Webb Space Telescope, including the beautiful Cosmic Tornado, the gorgeous Ring Nebula, the incredible Carina Nebula, and a stunning spiral galaxy. The Webb telescope — the most powerful ever built — launched in 2021 and has been scanning the far reaches of space ever since. Besides beaming back amazing infrared imagery, the telescope is also helping scientists to learn more about the universe's first stars and galaxies, the formation of numerous stars and planetary systems, and the origins of life itself, by exploring distant places with unprecedented clarity. To celebrate the ongoing work of the Webb telescope, NASA has just released a documentary — Cosmic Dawn — that chronicles its more than two decades of development, highlighting the telescope's careful assembly, rigorous testing, and successful launch nearly five years ago. Cosmic Dawn has a runtime of 96 minutes and is free to watch on YouTube. We've embedded it at the top of this page. 'At NASA, we're thrilled to share the untold story of our James Webb Space Telescope in our new film Cosmic Dawn, celebrating not just the discoveries, but the extraordinary people who made it all happen, for the benefit of humanity,' said Rebecca Sirmons, head of NASA+. The documentary also offers viewers an inside look at the successes and setbacks experienced by the team at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland — the birthplace of Webb. You'll also get to enjoy plenty of Webb's groundbreaking work, including remarkable images of the faint light of the first stars and galaxies that formed more than 13.5 billion years ago. The documentary also shares Webb's findings on black holes, planets in our solar system and far beyond, and plenty of other cosmic phenomena. 'Webb was a mission that was going to be spectacular whether that was good or bad — if it failed or was successful,' said video producer Sophia Roberts, who filmed some of the happenings prior to Webb's deployment. Roberts added: 'It was always going to make history.'
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Sen. Rick Scott urges Trump to relocate NASA headquarters to Florida
On Tuesday, Senator Rick Scott made a pitch to relocate NASA Headquarters from D.C. to Florida's Space Coast. He sent this letter, signed by the entire Florida Delegation, to the Trump Administration asking the President to consider the move. But this afternoon, NASA Watch Founder Keith Cowing told me it's unlikely. He told us, 'I've read the letter, and everybody signed it. Who's a Republican from Florida. They want to move with the Florida because a lot of space people work there. That are isolated from the political environment in DC. Okay, well, you have a big political environment down there. So, I own the lobbyists. Well, they'll just set up new offices. It'll take years.' In his letter, said the lease on Headquarters is expiring, and there's a 500-million plan for a new facility in the National Capitol Region. Scott says Space Florida has build to suit options. He called the state the undisputed leader in space operations and talked about leveraging a world-class workforce. Dr. Don Platt, an Associate Professor of Space Systems at Florida Tech said, 'We do have to remember that the people that work in NASA headquarters are people that interface with Capitol Hill. They interface with budgets, national space policy. They do not build rocket engines. They do not program software. Not engineers, they're more likely to be someone with a business background or a master's in management or finance or any of those areas.' Platt also said that if the Trump administration really was contemplating an HQ move for NASA, several states would be vying for that prize. Scott's letter follows the introduction of the CAPE Canaveral Act earlier this year. Scott co-sponsored the bill, which calls for the relocation of NASA headquarters from D.C. to Brevard County. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
CBS News
5 hours ago
- CBS News
Tiny fragment of asteroid giving Field Museum scientists a glimpse 4.6 billion years into the past
The Field Museum is the new temporary home to a tiny piece of pristine asteroid. The fragment of the asteroid Bennu, on loan from NASA, won't be on display for visitors, but will give scientists the chance to study an asteroid sample uncontaminated by Earth's atmosphere. A tiny, black fragment might not seem exciting, until a scientist explains it's a specimen from space. "It's an honor of a lifetime to be able to study this sample," said Field Museum curator Dr. Philipp Heck. How did Heck feel when the little rock first arrived at the museum and he held the vial containing the sample? "It was amazing. I was looking forward to that moment for a long time," he said. NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission was planned decades ago. In 2016, a spacecraft launched. In 2018, it arrived at Bennu, a near-Earth asteroid as wide as the Sears Tower is tall. The mission collected pieces of the asteroid and brought them back to Earth in 2023. "This is the first U.S. mission that sends a spacecraft to the asteroid and brings a sample back to Earth," said University of Chicago graduate student Yuke Zheng, who is part of the OSIRIS-REx sample analysis team. "It's a tiny, dark, black fragment that is fragile, so we want to protect it very carefully." She'll use the museum's scanning electron microscope to get an up-close look at a tiny sample of Bennu. "What struck me is how dark the sample is. I had never seen such a dark sample," Heck said. The fragment is like a time capsule, taking scientists back 4.6 billion years. "We believe Bennu contains part of the ingredients for life, and part of the ingredients of the formation of Earth," Heck said. Suddenly, a fragment at the bottom of a vial can have you pondering your place in the universe. "I've never studied a pristine sample from an asteroid," Heck said.
