We love Lucy

Lucy launches tomorrow! NASA’s mission to the Jupiter Trojan asteroids begins its journey on Saturday, October 16, launching from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is currently scheduled for 5:34 a.m. EDT (09:34 UTC), with NASA TV coverage starting at 5 a.m. You can watch it all at planetary.org/live. Pictured: An artist’s impression of Lucy at a Trojan asteroid. Image credit: NASA.

Australia has announced its first mission to the moon. According to NASA, Australian businesses and researchers will help to create a small rover that can collect lunar soil. NASA will then try to extract oxygen from that soil so the two countries can help create a more sustainable environment for future astronauts. Australia’s Prime Minister says NASA could fly the mission to the moon as early as 2026.

The James Webb Space Telescope is getting closer and closer to launch. On October 12, the JWST’s Twitter account posted two photos of an enormous boat called the MN Colibri carrying the telescope. The telescope endured a 16-day, 5,800-mile (about 9300-kilometer) journey, passing through the Panama Canal to dock at Port de Pariacabo in French Guiana. The telescope will be driven to Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou for final preparations before it launches in December.

Mars’ Jezero Crater was much more than a now-dry lake. We already knew that Jezero Crater was likely once a very old lake. But photos from Perseverance show signs of scarps, or large slopes, that may have contributed to flash flooding in the delta near the lake. This could be an area to explore further for astrobiological clues. The team’s findings have been published in the journal Science.

What are the Trojan asteroids, and what do we want to know about them? The latest article from Planetary Society editor Rae Paoletta explores what we know and don’t know about this soon-to-be-explored group of asteroids. Pictured: Artist’s impressions of the seven Trojan asteroids Lucy will visit. Image credit: NASA.

Want to know more about Lucy? Go straight to the source with this week’s Planetary Radio, featuring an exclusive conversation with Lucy’s principal investigator Hal Levison, deputy principal investigator Cathy Olkin and deputy project systems engineer Mike Sekerak. Plus, find out how Ringo Starr fits into this story.

Join us in celebrating Earth’s cosmic companion. By far the easiest thing to enjoy in the night sky, the Moon is many people’s first introduction to the wonders of space. That’s why NASA organizes the annual International Observe the Moon Night every year on October 16. Check out the official website for observing tips, fun facts, and virtual events, and make sure you get outside and look up!