The Lucy Asteroid Mission: Searching for the Fossils of Our Solar System

NASA’s Lucy is on a discovery mission to Jupiter’s Trojan asteroid belt. These asteroids are theorized to be leftover raw materials from the formation of our solar system’s giant planets (Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune). The purpose of this mission is to study the properties of the Trojan asteroids to learn more about how they got where they are. This talk will be focused on outlining Lucy’s past and future objectives, sharing information on the three instruments Lucy uses for remote sensing during her high-speed flybys, and introducing the five unique Trojan asteroid systems targeted by this mission.

Bio:

Anna Lise Sheridan is a Biology Major at the University of North Georgia. She is going to be an astronaut. Her journey towards that goal started two years ago, and since then she has had the opportunity to participate in several NASA accelerator programs, through which she acquired a position as a NASA Lucy Asteroid Mission Ambassador. As such, her role is to bring the science of the Lucy mission to communities around the world, starting right here in Georgia.

Anna Lise is in her third year at UNG, and besides her student responsibilities, she enjoys working for the university as a physics tutor on the Gainesville campus. Anna Lise’s favorite pastimes are discussing space topics, spending time with family, and asking questions.

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