The Signal NASA Didn't Want to Receive from the LUCY Probe

[@astrumspace]

Use my link to install Angry Birds Friends for FREE: rov.io/astrum and revel in the destruction!

[@stanikbr]

I will.

[@abandonedaccount123]

the least expected sponsorship

[@DerekMarshall]

the slingshots fit the theme lol

[@oxey_]

can't believe this still exists lmao

[@slimpai4929]

They do be angry tho

[@Overlyamplified]

Well I didn't expect angry birds! :D

[@DestroyerWill]

I looked for the date this was posted thinking it was like 10 years old 😂

[@GreenspaceGeckos]

Same. im wondering who they think the market is watching this channel ?

[@crq1g525]

Audibly laughed when angry birds showed up on screen

[@TheeBritishGuy]

No XD

[@mrln247]

Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!

[@KentoLeoDragon]

I don't recall the other astronomy channels talking about LUCY very much, so this was informative. Wish I had heard about those Earth flybys. Maybe I could have seen it.

[@astrumspace]

I don't know why but the topic doesn't seem to get many views, so it seems a lot of other channels avoid it. Hoping this video will buck the trend! It's a really unique probe and deserves some attention

[@Msvalexvalex]

Another channel (Dr. Becky maybe?) spoke about Lucy at the time the solar panel got stuck, but I never heard about it again.

[@SockyNoob]

@@astrumspace I never even knew about it until just now.

[@SockyNoob]

Anton Petrov seems to have covered it at least once or twice. I'm sure he'll cover it more as the mission progresses.

[@KentoLeoDragon]

@@astrumspace I suppose part of it is we hear about the mission and the launch but then we hear it isn't going to reach its destination for a number of years and we sort of forget about it. It's hard to stay excited about something that isn't going to happen for 5 or 6 or ten years.

[@davidconlee2196]

It is astonishing that the trajectories of asteroids can be known so precisely, and that the trajectory of a probe can be selected so precisely that the probe can meet a (relatively) tiny rock hurtling through space.

[@philiprife5556]

To me, that's one of the more incredible aspects of our technology.

[@sulijoo]

I'm not even sure I've ever heard of this mission before. After all its been through, it'll be such an amazing victory if it succeeds. God speed! We haven't forgotten you!

[@JoeShmoism]

How could you follow space news and not know about Lucy? One of her instruments uses a diamond disk and there were at least 3 months worth of Lucy in the sky with diamonds jokes 8-)

[@magalipiendel411]

you haven't heard of it cause it's not real, like all the rest they make us believe regarding Space.

[@BW-zq2tu]

@@magalipiendel411 What is space then? Let's hear it.

[@kindlin]

@@magalipiendel411 So... you look up and see....... a projection? An image? The funny thing about all of your 'idea's tho, is that we have ideas of our own, that make perfect sense and are 100% within the known, tested, and observable laws of physics.

[@danielthompson3205]

Did you know the NASA mission called Deep Impact? And then they made a movie on a whole difrent concept :/ So it's understandable you may not have known.

[@earthling_parth]

I hadn't heard much about Lucy. Thank you for this very well produced video. I'm always fascinated by scientists planning long term goals for space crafts with such convoluted orbits. All the best Lucy ❤️

[@Jordy120]

Nice! I can't sleep and this popped up. Some welcome chill science and relaxation.....& I learn something. Cheers.

[@kurenaikitty4864]

I just want to say that I have been citing your videos in my Space Studies class all semester. I like every video I've watched, and am now an avid follower. You are an excellent source, and I appreciate all the work and research you have put into these videos, as well as the interesting way in which you present them. Thank you!

[@MrRemnants]

The math and planning behind these sorts of flights always blows my mind. Just seems impossible to me, especially when I see some of the equations involved hahaha XD Huge props to the folks that work on these projects and pull off these incredible feats!

[@jamegumb7298]

Same. So I went out and worked throuh an orbital mechanics and celestial mechanics textbook and a few instructional things. It can get really complicated really fast because many bodies interact, but the basis is actually very easy (aside from some of the caculus required). High-G would probably require relativity but ask an expert.

[@himanshusingh5214]

@@jamegumb7298 High G and High V both.

[@kindlin]

@@jamegumb7298 No motion in our solar system requires relatively except mercury's orbit. But regardless, it's all done in computers, even back in the day (basically), so no one is really crunching numbers trying to find the specific amount of impulse required for a maneuver.

[@samuela-aegisdottir]

@@kindlin Managing the motion of the satelites around the Earth requires the theory of relativity.

[@kindlin]

@@samuela-aegisdottir Calculating the time between pulses of satellites for accurate GPS requires relativity. Getting your orbit to work right and move around the earth in the ellipse/circle you want does not require any consideration of Special Relativity and time/space dilation.

[@oxskirra]

I always enjoy listening to the perspective of space you present, been a fan for years. Please dont ever stop

[@Vinemaple]

You'd think in a game like Kerbal Space Program, this kind of thing wouldn't happen, but actually, I have several times allowed probes' batteries to run dry, essentially killing the otherwise immortal probe, by using time compression without making sure the probe's solar panels are in sunlight. Fortunately, in the stock game, this only affects the probe you are currently monitoring. I often spend extra credits on solar panels just to make this mistake less likely.

[@StrattCaster]

haha, me too, i have alot of dead probes in my kerbal history

[@kur0kiba]

i have done this too many times. i usually just open up the cheat menu, check unlimited electricity, open solar panels, uncheck unlimited electricity, and then close out the cheat menu. getting to that point usually takes a lot of time and i dont save often enough. if i had to go back and redo everything i probably would just close out of the game.

[@paystar3436]

Read my comment above for the simple answer. $$$$ Greed !

[@rich1051414]

I have had some that were dead for decades before returning close enough to the sun to charge the batteries enough to fire the engines.

[@Vinemaple]

@@kur0kiba Yeah, I wouldn't get the same sense of accomplishment if I did that. Solar panels are rarely too heavy or expensive to add a few more, though... and like I said, as long as you're not actively flying that ship, battery power won't tick down.

[@davidvaughn7752]

Wow! Thank you for this! I didn't realize that so much drama had occurred with Lucy! What a saga and the mission has really just started. There is going to be so much perspective changing data and we will learn so much!!! Your show is wonderful and so informative! Thank You again!👍

[@CaptianInternet]

I am such a fan of this probe and the people who are behind it. If I can once in my life be in the control room to ... just be there. I would feel like a teenage girl at a beatles concert.

[@CaptianInternet]

@@sirensynapse5603 okay. Maybe I went too far with that.

[@browhyareyallsobad8673]

You didn’t go to far lol.

[@scrung]

@@CaptianInternet nah bro you’re good, it was a good analogy Lol

[@osamahashoor2548]

Bro are you in the 1960s cause I’m sorry to tell u but the Beatles are no longer together 😂

[@noahway13]

@@osamahashoor2548 It was an analogy and the Beatles were mentioned in the video.

[@HeatherSaltas]

Only you could have made angry birds sound this appealing! Lol I love it! This was a great video on Lucy. I can’t wait to see future updates

[@cliftonsargent1572]

Thank you for this, it’s easy to just give up on people with so much awful news and I guess people in general. Hearing about people that are so smart that they just want to find info in the universe makes me believe in people

[@Quickened1]

I previously knew practically none of this... Thanks Alex... Great content! 🐥

[@marktwain368]

Superb research and animation, as has come to be characteristic of your channel, Alex. It is such a treat to attend one of your chats about Space and the Universe!

[@terrapinflyer273]

The physics and engineering behind the trajectory and build composition of this project... is just amazing.

[@dukemarlborough165]

When the fossil Lucy was discovered, Johannson specifically named it after the song that he said was heard playing that day.

[@thespacepeacock]

Can’t wait for Lucy’s arrival to the Trojans! It really has been a good time for asteroid mission lately; we’ve had osiris-rex and hayabusa2, DART, LUCY… and the PSYCHE mission to a metal-rich asteroid is also still scheduled to launch later this year!

[@darth856]

I'm glad NASA scientists are a lot smarter than me. Seriously impressed by what they can do.

[@40KoopasWereHere]

Well just you wait until the next couple generations take their place, you'll be blown away by how they can TikTok 🙄

[@luxmysterium]

All they do is Computer Generated Images.

[@luxmysterium]

@Yusuf Astronauts are simply actors. We've never been to space.

[@collectiusindefinitus6935]

@Yusuf While I understand the intention behind that message , it is unfortunately objectively false , no 2 humans are identical and no 2 human brains are identical , meaning there are people who are smarter than others in different forms of intelligence.

[@nordic24]

@@luxmysterium prove it

[@nohypocrisy]

the mind, the soul, idea, intended, unreasonable, ignorance, health, pride, dream, stray, patience, fear, serious attitude, life, problems, i struggle with myself

[@shantishanti1949]

You have a truly lovely voice and delivery- it’s a pleasure to listen to. Thank you Di. 🙏👍 PS I hope we are still around to see the results of Lucy’s mission - the first being 2025 and 2027 … fingers crossed !

[@Freakingbean]

Someone three million years ago had no clue what impact they would have on the future. May they rest in peace.

[@enchantederic3792]

Scary ... or amazing part, is that it was we back then looking up, very proud we have made it into space. :-)

[@annakeye]

Great video, Alex. You explained everything very well and gave me a better understanding of this mission. A mission that was overshadowed by all the dramas with the James Webb and eventual launch. Loved the romance of photographing the home of the original 'Lucy' by her significantly advanced namesake. Cheers and congratulation to all involved in this mission.

[@Rocket_scientist_88]

Wonderful! I remember when ULA launched Lucy a couple years ago, everyone seemed really excited about it but I had wondered why it was named “Lucy”. I had just assumed that NASA made up an acronym, as they usually do, to come up with a catchy name. I could have googled it, I guess - but I just never did. Then your video gave a nice explanation - I had heard about the fossilized humanoid being named “Lucy” but I never made the connection before I saw this. What a brilliant explanation! The entire video was just wonderful. I’ve subscribed and look forward to more. I’m retired now but worked in aerospace for many years; I always felt like one of the luckiest people on Earth, because I got to do my passion as a career… and I got paid to do it! It was so much fun. I do miss it. I guess I could still consult, but I am kind of enjoying retirement a little too much… Cheers from New Orleans, Louisiana!

[@bunnytail1370]

Im sure it is pronounced LUCKY

[@galahadthreepwood9394]

The fossil was named Lucy because the song “Lucy in the sky with diamonds” was playing on the radio at the time. So both the fossil and spacecraft have a Beatles connection

[@Flesh_Wizard]

The scientifically accurate "Lucy in the sky with mostly iron and nickel" doesn't have that ring to it though

[@scousesav]

Fantastic video. Keep them coming love your stuff 👍

[@goodboi6540]

You know you've succeeded when an already popular company sponsors you

[@greenjp779]

Ngl that sponsor plug was the last thing I expected. I would be less surprised to see this channel sponsored by Nike

[@mefuri_k]

9:50 damn i thought space force is just a meme before lmao

[@stevemonkey6666]

You have some really interesting stuff on this channel

[@johnzuijdveld9585]

All these scientific excursions are a testament to the ingenuity and dedication these folks have for scientific discovery, the mathematical feats involved are mind blowing and they have my utmost respect!

[@kariahola463]

The science behind those trajectories is truly mind blowing.

[@angelafeldman5903]

Just the process of thought alone! Imagine the math equation (s)!!

[@Dbean48]

Always enjoy seeing how craft act and respond and fixes like a partial opening of the second solar panel, it has some vary precarious orbits dipping into our satellite debris fields as it approaches earth and back out on the gravitational sling shot maneuvers .. Thanks for the run though on Lucy the satellite missions in deeper parts of space ..

[@RichardMerrill3Hawk]

It's fitting the first official visit of spacecraft Lucy was the asteroid Donald Johanson, as he is the best known of the team of three paleoanthropologists who discovered the fossil they named Lucy.

[@matthewyabsley]

Still not up there with more democratic naming policies.... like Probey McProbe (for example)

[@samuela-aegisdottir]

They probably named the asteroid that way after chosing it as Lucy's goal. It's quite possible that it had just a number as a name before it was chosen for the mission.

[@jenx5870]

@@matthewyabsley Gear up, you're about to learn in the video, DiNozzo.

[@jayhorsley8282]

This has to be one of the best channels on KZbin I love space

[@Isaacrl67]

Your videos are so well assembled, good work.

[@helenrobinson7771]

the fact that it discovered two new objects and its so far from its destination is incredible and shows how little we know still of our vast universe

[@titabethshomelifecooking3606]

Always interesting to watch the outer space.

[@asupreme92]

Imagine a probe crashes into an asteroid and causes a domino effect that make an asteroid hit earth

[@Flight368]

The launch of a space craft is like a launch of a bird … That’s what I was REALLY afraid to hear the first moment. Anyways, thank you Alex! You’re truly a wonderful person. Uuuhhhh great vid anyways

[@lurkinturk4284]

I used to have a miniature poodle named Lucy, she's since sadly passed. Id like to imagine she's been reincarnated as a space probe, exploring the solar system

[@krotchlickmeugh627]

Mine was name Chloe.... she passed as well...

[@MrJruta]

The worst loss possible 😢

[@patrickmurphy6775]

Terrific information and a great video!

[@samuela-aegisdottir]

I have never heard of Lucy (the probe) before, so this video was very informative for me. It is an amazing story of human ingenuity.

[@LogicalNiko]

Space is a pretty hazardous place, one of the biggest problems is the effect of radiation. The variation in energy tends to cause all sorts of issues with mechanical parts, tolerates being pushed, metals tending to just weld to eachother. And then you have electronics... There is really only so much you can do to protect against stray bit flips, random components getting ionizing charges, etc. You can add some minor shielding, use chips with much wider traces and thicker transistor layers, and run at lower clock speeds; but that comes at a significant performance and energy cost. Its really a struggle for any probe to deal with having low overall mass, but have enough protection and redundancy from the harshness of open space.

[@paystar3436]

Read my comment above for the simple answer. $$$$ Greed.

[@Tinil0]

I only wish you had included a note that Donald Johanson was the anthropologist who discovered Lucy in Ethiopia, hence the asteroid Donaldjohanson which "looks weird"!

[@thingsiplay]

Thank you Angry Birds.

[@testfire3000]

Interesting to see that both times LUCY will pass through the Trojan asteroids, it will be moving opposite their direction of orbit. So the interactions will be very brief flybys.

[@astrumspace]

New Horizons got a good view of Arrokoth, and seeing as both probes use basically the same camera, I'm hoping for good things from these flybys!

[@samuela-aegisdottir]

I watched the animation on wiki and it seems to me that Lucy is moving in a similar direction as the Troyan Asteroid when passing thourgh. And it makes sense to me as the Toyans are moving in the same direction as Earth and Lucy is also moving in the same direction as Earth, somethink it needs to speed up by passing by.

[@r0cketplumber]

Its motion will be prograde, but slower than the Trojans, giving encounter velocities of a few km/s, much like every other asteroid flyby.

[@paulyiustravelogue]

I thought you were going to start the video by saying launching a rocket isn’t as easy as launching today’s sponsor, Angry Birds 😂

[@stewartmackay]

Christ, if we can't see nearly 5000 huge lumps of rock in our own back yard, how are we supposed to detect the invasion fleet of the sheep-squeezers of Splatican 5?

[@RileyMeta]

I love how happy he sounds about all this

[@TURPEG]

LUCY: *Downloading Angry Birds*

[@JMurph2015]

The poor mission operators are getting Galileo flashbacks. Deployables are really hard to do exactly right. That's why JWST had such skepticism before launch and is so impressive after deployment.

[@ravioli6394]

The sciences and mathematics that go into these types of group endeavors will always be completely awesome to me.

[@deanevangelista6359]

Meanwhile, Voyager recently beamed back a signal from an unknown source. After decoding the data, it was translated into English, and the message was frightening. “Greetings Earthlings. We have been trying for decades to reach with an important message about your car’s extended warranty.”

[@KingdomOfSaulo]

I'm very excited to see what the Lucy probe will bring to our view. The number of targets is crazy, at a whopping 10! (152830 Dinkinesh will be the first on 1st November 2023, you forgot to include it.) The Lucy Mission is really unusual. Especially it's flight Path relative to Jupiter. Got very Confused when i first saw it xd

[@SockyNoob]

It's also very long for a planned mission length.

[@KingdomOfSaulo]

@@SockyNoob True. a mission so long could even reach dwarf planets in the kuiper belt such as Ixion.

[@havareriksen1004]

If one counts in all the satellites, the number isn't very impressive. All missions to Jupiter and Saturn took snapshots and more of a large number of moons orbiting these gas giants. So Pioneer 10 and 11, Voyager 1 and 2, Cassini, Galileo, Juno etc. all had more targets as long as we count in all satellites.

[@KingdomOfSaulo]

@@havareriksen1004 Hm. you got a good point there. But i think Alex was prob referring to the amount of Flyby's in one single mission, and not just pictures taken from far away like these probes did with these (mostly) tiny moonlets.

[@havareriksen1004]

I hope it will be not too far into the future that we will be able to repair crafts that have such malfunctions. As LUCY came near Earth several times before venturing out to the orbit of the trojans, a team of astronauts or robots could have intercepted it and done repairs. Much like the space shuttle had service missions to the Hubble telescope. As long as one can safely approach and match the direction and velocity of the probe, it should be possible. But of course the velocity would be very high, so we might have to develop an entirely new generation of spacecraft to manage that.

[@paystar3436]

Read my comment above for the simple answer. $$$$ Greed.

[@enderdavid_hdde348]

13:52 missed opportunity to use the angry birds space sprites for the sponsor xD

[@PershijsmachnijKherson]

Hello, thanks for the interesting and beautiful video! Great channel! Good luck!👍

[@michaeljoseph3528]

Well narrated . Thanks 🙏

[@tublue32]

@astrumspace A correction to your video, the satellite around Polymele was not discovered by Lucy, but instead by a group know as the southwest research institute. They observed using 60 ground based telescopes this star to provide a map you actually used in your video. Appreciate your work and love the video.

[@samuela-aegisdottir]

I was wondernig about that because the "map" (11:57) looked like taken by numerous cameras from differnet places. That is possible on Earth, but not by a single probe. Thank for confiming my estimate. I feel clever now:-)

[@theinquiringengineer]

One small correction to your correction, SwRI isn’t a group, it’s a company/think tank. For my mechanical engineering senior design project I worked with one of their teams.

[@737smartin]

I thought it seemed odd that Lucy--designed for near-object observations--would be well equiped to observe distant transits. This explanation makes far more sense.

[@terranhealer]

Lucy, what a satellite designed by the umbrella Corp would look like 😂

[@Richardj410]

Thanks for giving me more to read about.

[@edsmith2562]

Well done. Lucy has a fine voice in you.

[@Dwayne-h2v]

videos like this remind me just how much better off the world would be if it was run by scientists and professors, rather than... well... you know.

[@krotchlickmeugh627]

Yeah. Because covid was a masterpiece of modern fascism- i mean science

[@zachreed1276]

I hope the angry birds pr team sees my comment and recognizes this ad placement single handedly made me redownload angry birds. Keep sponsoring this man

[@zachhoy]

really top notch visuals on this channel

[@Dudleymiddleton]

"MM-MM- MM-MM- MM-MM- PEW!PEW!PEW!PEW! MM-MM- MM-MM--" - Gimme Asteroids anytime! I'm too old for angry birds! lol

[@paulhaynes8045]

As Lucy came so close on its first flyby, could we have visually checked it out?

[@kaltonian]

fascinating, i didn't even know about Lucy & the android belts that Lucy is visiting, she certainly has got some exploring to do.

[@chrisbingley]

Considering the speeds needed for interplantary travel within our solar system. Combined with the fact that space is far from empty. It's a wonder that most of our probes aren't destroyed mid-flight by micro-meteorites. And that's not counting all the other hazards that raise their head when you leave the safety of earth.

[@grandsome1]

'Space," [the Hitchhiker's Guide] says, "is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly hugely mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space.'

[@Sandman_Slim]

Are you drinking paint again?

[@smcclure3545]

Not saying i want more comic advertisements... but that was a genius transition LMAO literally laughing out loud

[@holdinmuhl4959]

Amazing and impressing what stunning manoevres can be executed with unmanned probes. I am very keen and hope to live long to learn all the new discoveries which may be expected. There is no need for the expensive and dangerous efforts to bring man to the cosmic regions at our present stage of exploration. Let the probes do the job. The better we learn to apply AI the more we will be able to have all this work done by robots.

[@davidvaughn7752]

I agree! If human presence is so imparative, then there's plenty left for man and woman to do on the moon. Probes are so much more efficient and have already given us incredible and valuable information.

[@paystar3436]

Read my post above ... for " Reason's " for such Failure's .

[@phil1963100]

Fascinating, and nail-biting too! Thanks very much!

[@jessicap4998]

350 km is insanely close! The ISS is up around 400km, and they could have easily waved at each other.

[@chrisantoniou4366]

Unfortunately had Lucy waved back it would have been bad news about its solar panel...

[@silversurfer3202]

I can't EVEN wrap my brain around all the mathematics involved in planning this mission 😳!!!! (Orbital Mechanics wise alone)

[@PhantomCatMusic]

Thanks for Angry birds for sponsoring this video... What year is this?

[@alanice8087]

Thanks!

[@RiverOfHate88]

NASA always seems to be at their best when things go wrong . 😀

[@VRG_HQ]

Top notch research and storytelling thank you

[@leolana6729]

NASA safety crew : __' lets have some cameras point to the satelity , to see if anything goes wrong ?'... nahhh... silly idea !.. .ahahahahahahah

[@paystar3436]

Read my comment above for the simple answer. $$$$ Greed !

[@petergambier]

Thanks for posting this up Astrum. Never realised that Space Force was for real, I've seen the very expensive but not too funny US comedy series with the great Steve Carrol but never realised that there was an actual Space Force. Perhaps SF's 1st mission will be to take out some of the 47,000 IFO (identified flying objects) which will make it safer for all the newer traffic like Elon Musk's belt of 200 Starlink satellites.

[@samuela-aegisdottir]

I also dod not know that the Space Force exists. I thought it was just Trump's empty promise.

[@Raeilgunne]

@@samuela-aegisdottir yeah, a part of the air force did orbital tracking among other things, and they just split it into its own branch. No clue why.

[@scifisyko]

@@Raeilgunne Pretending to accomplish things, basically

[@kickytink]

Love the vids you make!

[@mariadaluzmoutinho5701]

A missão Lucy ...uma missão atribulada, além dos asteróides ainda tem que ultrapassar a quantidade de lixo a rodear a Terra!! Já não seria hora das agências espaciais fazerem uma limpeza?!! Preferiram formar uma guarda do espaço?! Bem sempre é menos caro...Quanto a viagem, numa curvas e contracurvas até aos asteróides errantes!! Não sabia destas atribulações...excelente vídeo!!

[@curtiskretzer8898]

Collect all that material & put it thru a bubble jet constructor making a Dyson Belt

[@philiprife5556]

@@curtiskretzer8898 Ala the Dyson vacuum cleaner company?

[@eoachan9304]

I am boggled that the almighty NASA did not realize that using a fussy solar panel power system far from the sun might not be the best way to power the probe. Why not use a nuclear isotope thermoelectric generator out where the sun is too weak? Plus few if any moving parts.

[@SmoothOperator67]

Angry Birds 💀

[@philiprife5556]

I'm surprised that the narrator didn't mention the fact that the asteroid Donald Johansson is named after one of the discoverers of the fossil of Lucy. My 49 yo memory remembered the his name when he first began this narrative. Now I'm wondering if the asteroid was just named once this mission began, or if it already was named. My guess would be the former.

[@slimeking101]

The astroid with Pollimoly does actually have a name at least an unofficial one. It's named Shaun I was just on a trip to try and find its orbit (lookup Lucy occultation) as it could be dangerous to Lucy if it's not found. The data should actually come in within about a week or so and then we'll know its exact orbit. Also Lucy didn't find Sean it was a small group of astronomers working with the Lucy program on the ground. Interesting how it's done and would honestly make a pretty good video.

[@KingdomOfSaulo]

its Polymele and its moon is nicknamed Shaun, named after that one cartoon sheep.

[@slimeking101]

@@KingdomOfSaulo unfortunately I don't believe so. I don't remember exactly what it's named after but it has something to do with the Lucy fossil.

[@Vee3000]

This might just be a real astro science channel and not just a robot good stuff astrum

[@knowthings489]

Angry birds brings back memories

[@RobertPruitt-y7m]

The message NASA didn't want to receive: don't call me Lucy, I prefer being called Johnny. LOL

[@iminabrons]

Why did they leave such a very small margin of error regarding the amount of energy they got from the two solar panels versus what they needed?

[@paystar3436]

Read my comment above for the simple answer. $$$$ Greed.

[@iminabrons]

@@paystar3436 Greed??? I would have thought more panels would be greedy. Not fewer panels.

[@paystar3436]

@@iminabrons Ah huge amounts of taxpayer money spent. The less panels means the Builders took the money and delivered LESS NOT MORE by not shopping around for better hardware and tech deals... and paying themselves way too much for design services that FAILED . gET IT yet ?

[@philiprife5556]

@@paystar3436 An absolute cynic and pessimist would say.

[@veleriphon]

It's fascinating that missions like this aren't just assumed to need a radioactive thermal generator.

[@stug77]

I still don't get why they named it Lucy. Lucy has been mired in controversy ever since the first parts of it were discovered in 74. Like, there are better, more complete examples of early man that (probably) weren't pieced together from various chimpanzee bones and a human skull. They don't have catchy names though. There are still plenty of astronomers, astrophysicists, and greek deities to choose from. Lucy the jigsaw proto-human kinda sticks out in that regard. Or maybe there's precedent for this kind of name?

[@uh8myzen]

I don't really know why NASA names things as they do, but given the nature of the mission, Lucy is a fair enough name since she is the most famous of all of our ancestral fossils, at least among the general public. It doesn't hurt that Australopithecus Lucy was literally named for the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". For me at least, it sort of works on a number of levels.

[@johnbode5528]

Lucy is only "mired in controversy" among people who aren't paleontologists. The Lucy specimen herself (AL-288-1) consists of pieces that were all found together in the same locality at the same time -- she is not some random assemblage of bits from different species. She is also not the only specimen of _A. afarensis_ , just the most complete individual.

[@samuela-aegisdottir]

I have googled the "controversy" about Lucy and it seems to me that the only people who have a problem with Lucy are creationists. Since astronomers are not creationists, I don't see a reason why not to name a probe by the name of the most famous hominid.

[@Heyheyhey0475]

Just bought Space-Engine and realized today that’s how you get all those fancy visuals

[@DarkVoidIII]

Of all the parameters NASA could have figured out, but didn't, is how to send someone up to Lucy to fix something as simple as a malfunctioning lanyard. It's a pity nobody had the forethought to get a space capsule capable of reaching Lucy and fixing it's issue in space, before it went anywhere.

[@iceboi5983]

No human has ever gone beyond the moon. It'd be reckless to send a human (at this point in history) into interplanetary space just to fix a probe.

[@bruhus_momentum]

@@iceboi5983 Also a new probe would probably be less expensive than a full manned repair mission capable of reaching speeds higher than escape velocity

[@paystar3436]

@@iceboi5983 Robotic DEVICES that could do repairs is too economical for money hungry Space Biz Companies to be interested in. Get it yet ?

[@iceboi5983]

@@paystar3436 NASA is a government agency. They literally operate at a loss, try again.

[@philiprife5556]

@@iceboi5983 The repairs would be made when the craft was on one of its earthly flybys, but matching the speed would be a big problem.

[@robertgraybeard3750]

at 9:50 you should have said "The newly formed U.S. Space Force *_took over the cataloging and monitoring . . ._* " from the U.S. Air Force.

[@BrandanTheBroker]

I'd rather Angry Birds than yet more Raid Shadow Legends or League Of Legends or Legends Legends Legendary Legends 😂

[@reme7903]

Gotta love the "Lucy in the sky with diamonds" pun they did!

[@twelved4983]

It’s a shame it’s gonna take a looong time to get any results