NOVA · Season 50 · Episode 2

“Star Chasers of Senegal”

Aired Thursday 9 February 2023

A NASA spacecraft named Lucy blasts off from Cape Canaveral on a mission to the Trojans, a group of asteroids over 400 million miles from Earth thought to hold important clues about the origins of our solar system. Just hours before, in Senegal, West Africa, a team of scientists sets out to capture extraordinarily precise observations vital to the success of the Lucy mission – crucial data needed to help NASA navigate Lucy to its asteroid targets across millions of miles of space. The team's visionary leader, Senegalese astronomer Maram Kaire, takes viewers on a journey to investigate his nation's rich and deep history of astronomy, reaching back thousands of years – and the promising future ahead.

S50 E2 discussion