Unveiling the Trojans: NASA’s Lucy Mission to the Solar System’s Fossils

Lucy, a NASA spacecraft named for the famed and fossilized human ancestor, is on a mission. Lucy is on a 12-year-long voyage to a never-before-explored population of small bodies, the Jupiter Trojanasteroids. Scientists think these asteroids are likely “fossils” left over from the formation of our solar system, over 4 billion years ago. What secrets do these celestial fragments hold? What is the birth story of our solar system? And how is Lucy doing in its journey thus far?

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Emillianna Manino (she/her/hers) is an interdisciplinary artist, creative scientist, and science communicator whose work bridges space exploration, public engagement, and the arts. She currently serves as a 2025–2026 NASA Lucy Mission Ambassador, sharing the mission’s discoveries and inspiring public curiosity about small bodies in our solar system.

With a background in Political Science from Columbia University, where she specialized in Political Theory and International Relations. Emillianna brings a systems‑level perspective to science communication—integrating culture, policy, and storytelling to make space science more accessible and emotionally resonant.

She is also a project manager and scientist on MUSHROOM FORGE (Fungi Off-World Resource Generation Ecosystem), a 2x NASA award‑winning project. Her work in STEAM, equity, and public outreach reflects a deep commitment to expanding who gets to imagine and participate in the future of space exploration.

Her special connection to the workshop topic comes from her role on the Lucy Mission Asteroid Ambassador team, where she engages diverse communities in understanding how Trojan asteroids act as “fossils” of our early solar system—and why studying them matters for humanity’s shared cosmic story.

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