[music throughout]
You might be wondering, where is Lucy off to?
Ah, yes! The Trojan asteroids.
These are a population of asteroids in orbit around the Sun,
about as far away as Jupiter.
It may seem far away to you, but our Lucy spacecraft
is a capable explorer and ready to make the trek to her targets.
Lucy is aiming to visit asteroids in both of these Trojan swarms
on her 12 year mission.
The pull of gravity from the Sun balances the pull from Jupiter
to keep the Trojan asteroids in these two groups due to the gravitational
balancing act, these asteroids have been in these orbits for billions of years.
It's still quite the challenge to explore these targets.
However, our intrepid explorer is ready for her mission.
Aren't you, Lucy?
Ah, of course. You'll be the first spacecraft to visit these asteroids.
I can't help but wonder, though, why choose these asteroids in particular?
I see the scientific evidence says the Trojan asteroids
are leftover material from the formation of the planets.
Right. These asteroids hold vital clues
to understanding the history of our Solar System.
It's just like a treasure hunt.
What you discover could teach us about the history of the Solar System
and how the planets, including Earth, came to be the way they are.
I won't hold you up any longer.
Safe travels on your journey.
Be sure to write home and tell us all about it.