| Lucy Spacecraft's Rapid | Earth Flyby | A Close and Quick Encounter |

The Jupiter Trojans are two swarms of prehistoric asteroids caught in Jupiter's orbit that could provide information on how planets formed. NASA's Lucy mission is traveling there. Launched on October 16, 2021, was Lucy. On the anniversary of its launch, it is heading home after spending a year in solar orbit in preparation for the first of three Earth gravity assistance. A swing dancing companion, Lucy will pass past the Earth on October 16, 2022, accelerating it and lengthening its orbit around the Sun. Lucy will come within 219 miles of Earth at its closest approach at 7:04 a.m. Eastern Time, which is lower than the International Space Station. Its speed will increase by 4.5 miles per second as a result of this incredibly close encounter, sending Lucy into a tailspin.