Lucy Spacecraft Will Slingshot Around Earth

On October 16th, 2022, NASA's Lucy spacecraft will make its way back to Earth after a year of circling the Sun. This will be its first of three gravity assists and will increase its speed by four and a half miles per second. Lucy is heading to two asteroids in Jupiter's orbit called Trojans, which could hold clues to how the planets formed. The closest Lucy will come to Earth is at 7:04 a.m. Eastern Time, which is just a few hundred miles away. This will be a close shave, but Lucy will be back on track when it comes back to Earth in December 2024.