NASA's Lucy spacecraft prepares for second Earth gravity assist

On Dec. 12, at 11:15 p.m. EST, NASA's Lucy spacecraft, currently in a two-year orbit around the sun, will skim Earth's atmosphere, passing only about 220 miles (360 kilometers) above the surface. This close flyby will result in a "gravity assist," putting the spacecraft on a new trajectory that travels through the main asteroid belt and out to the never-before-explored Jupiter Trojan asteroids, small bodies that orbit the sun at the same distance as Jupiter.