Two new NASA missions

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration has announced the selection of two new missions under the Discovery program. Lucy and Psyche, as the missions are called, will be sent towards asteroids.

Star mission Lucy is planned for 2021, and Psyche for 2023. The missions were selected in the Discovery program’s thirteenth competition. Out of 28 proposals submitted in 2015, NASA selected five over which to workóexperts wondered. Two missions dropped out of the finals, których’s premise was to fly to Venus, and one, której the goal was to study near-Earth asteroids and comets.

Lucy will visit Jupiter’s mysterious Trojan asteroids. It is scheduled to arrive at its destination in 2025, and is expected to explore six such asteroids starting in 2027. The mission is expected to last until 2033. Trojans, as the Trojan asteroids are also called, are considered relics of an early period in the history of the solar system. These are remnants of the original material, from whichórego the formation of the planets of our system.

Psyche, in turn, will explore one of the most intriguing objectsóIn located in the head beltównym of asteroids. This 16 Psyche – large metallic asteroid, whichóra was discovered in 1852. Researchers believe its composition is similar to that of the Earth’s core.