Asteroid Between Mars and Jupiter named by NASA’s Lucy Mission
On April 20, 2023, the Lucy spacecraft visited the asteroid Donaldjohanson as a technical test before heading towards Jupiter’s Trojans. The rocks, lobes, and craters of Donaldjohanson were renamed with names evoking our origins.
The Fossil that Named a Ship and a World
Donaldjohanson, named after the scientist who discovered Lucy in 1974, received new names for its shapes resembling those from a paleoanthropology manual. The small lobe was named Afar Lobus, while the larger one was named Olduvai Lobus, referencing the Tanzanian gorge with ancient human fossil records.
A Narrow Neck Connecting Times and Worlds
Between the lobes lies a thin strip called Windover Collum, inspired by a Florida site with ancient human remains. The asteroid also features Hadar Regio, the site where Lucy was found, and Minatogawa Regio, a Japanese location revealing older hominids in Asia. These names reflect humanity’s origins and discoveries.
An Essay that Ended up Being a Message
Donaldjohanson, now millions of kilometers from the Sun, will reach Jupiter’s Trojans in 2027. However, its significance lies in the celestial map it left behind, symbolizing the connection between archaeology and space exploration, reflecting on our origins through every journey into space.
