Lucy Team Analyzing Problem with Spacecraft Solar Array
GREENBELT, Md. (NASA PR) — Following a successful launch on Oct. 16, 2021, analysis of NASA’s Lucy spacecraft systems show the spacecraft is operating well and is stable. Lucy’s two solar arrays have deployed, and both are producing power and the battery is charging. While one of the arrays has latched, indications are that the second array may not be fully latched. All other subsystems are normal. In the current spacecraft attitude, Lucy can continue to operate with no threat to its health and safety. The team is analyzing spacecraft data to understand the situation and determine next steps to achieve full deployment of the solar array.
Editor’s Note: The main question appears to be how the situation might affect thruster firings on the spacecraft, which is due to explore one main-belt asteroid and seven Trojan asteroids during its 12-year mission.
11 responses to “Lucy Team Analyzing Problem with Spacecraft Solar Array”
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they probably can fix this…maybe a thruster firing to push it into place…good luck
This is exactly the scenario that I was referring to, something that is threatening the mission that a simple space walk would easily fix.
yeah but it makes no sense. what are going to do? they deploy these things after the final burn. you are not going to keep a person there until the probe gets to final configuration. and there are a lot of these things to deploy after the final burn…thats what I was saying
That is because of the limitations of the ELVs you need to use the upper stage of the launch vehicle to get it on its orbit, so you keep it folded up until all the burns are finished.
But if you are attaching a low acceleration propulsion unit like an ion drive you could deploy it before leaving orbit. The slower acceleration won’t stress it as much.
Again, a different approach to doing robotic space exploration.
I suspect that any future probes using a solar electric stage will use a chemical stage for departure velocity and a solar electic for the rest. its to bad we did not do ARM
Isn’t the Gateway (with its Power and Propulsion Module) essentially the ARM vehicle in lunar orbit?
yes…and that to me is the true “good thing” of the gateway. I suspect from it we can develop vehicles that go on automated pretty good sample return visits in the inner solar system
If that will be its mission than it should be in an Earth-Moon L1
Halo orbit or Earth-Moon L2 Halo orbit, not in the Gateway orbit. Both require less delta to reach destinations in the Solar System. A Gateway in the Earth-Moon L2 Halo Orbit could also serve farside communication needs.
the halo orbit makes next to no sense to me, and I suspect if Webb fails or if the lunar landing actually happens it will all change
Halo orbits are more stable around the L1 and L2 LaGrange points. Below is the info on the “Interplanetary Superhighway” it is based on.
https://www.nasa.gov/missio…
Interplanetary Superhighway Makes Space Travel Simpler
Below is a link to a 1971 NASA study on using the L2 Halo orbit for a space station. Pity NASA ignored its own research when developing the Lunar Gateway…
https://www.lpi.usra.edu/lu…
they are more stable but not something the electric propulsion could not take care of.