♪ ♪ NARRATOR:
About 400 million miles
from Earth, an asteroid hurtles
through space. Meanwhile,
scientists in West Africa train their telescopes
on a distant star, anxiously hoping
to catch the fleeting moment when the asteroid
crosses in front of it, blocking its light. MARC BUIE:
If you don't get the data at the right second, you don't get the data ever. NARRATOR:
They are part of a NASA mission that could revolutionize
our understanding of the very beginnings
of our solar system and take the African nation
of Senegal one step closer
to an ambitious goal: to establish its own
space agency. Space belongs to everyone
and it is open for everyone. NARRATOR:
"Star Chasers of Senegal," right now, on "NOVA." ♪ ♪ ANNOUNCER:
As a supplier of products
that support green building practices,
Carlisle is committed to being a responsible
environmental stakeholder by helping residential
and commercial buildings work toward achieving net zero. Learn more at Carlisle.com. (birds twittering) ♪ ♪ NARRATOR:
Senegal, on the west coast
of Africa. One scientist wants to change the fortunes of his country
by looking to the stars. ♪ ♪ His name is Maram Kaire. KAIRE:
Ever since I was a child, I have
had a passion for astronomy. And now I'm taking part
in a NASA space mission, to help solve mysteries about the origins of our
solar system and our planet. This is a dream come true. But I have a much more
challenging mission here on Earth, to build a space agency
in Senegal. I must prove to my people that
science can change their lives. ♪ ♪ NARRATOR:
For Maram, that begins with
helping his community to understand astronomy's
deep roots in their culture-- roots that Maram is about
to discover go back even further than
he realized. ♪ ♪ Just off the coast of
Senegal's capital, Dakar, lies an island symbolic of a
dark chapter in Africa's past. Maram Kaire comes here
to feel that history and to imagine
a brighter future. KAIRE:
This is the House of Slave
in Gorée island, and from this place,
millions of African people were taken by boat across
the ocean as slave to America. And this is the doorway
of no return. And we can imagine them just turning back and seeing this door as maybe the last link between them and their
continent. It was the last thing
they have to see when they leave their land. ♪ ♪ NARRATOR:
Now, across that same ocean, a spacecraft called Lucy is
getting ready to launch. ♪ ♪ Maram Kaire has been asked to
help that space mission succeed. ♪ ♪ Lucy's mission is to explore
what astronomers call Trojan asteroids,
leftovers from the time our sun and planets
first formed. These ancient rocky remnants
cluster in two distinct groups trapped in Jupiter's orbit
around the sun. The spacecraft will fly
by eight of them, looking for clues
to better understand the birth of our solar system, about four-and-a-half billion
years ago. The asteroids are like fossils, so scientists name
the mission Lucy, after a fossilized early human
ancestor found in Ethiopia. Just as Lucy teaches us about the origins of humans
on Earth, Lucy the spacecraft is going to teach us about the origins of the bodies
that make up our solar system that ultimately led to
the Earth. NARRATOR:
But even though Lucy's
flight path has been calculated to precisely reach
its target asteroids, the probe is entering
a region of space that has never been explored. ♪ ♪ It will fly past
each of the target asteroids at about 15,000 miles per hour,
giving scientists very little time to conduct
their observations. To help guide Lucy's approach, they'll record events
called stellar occultations. ♪ ♪ A stellar occultation occurs when
a celestial body passes in front
of a star and blocks
that star's light. At sites around the world,
observers will record Lucy's target asteroids
as they eclipse stars beyond our solar system. And from the data they collect, scientists can estimate an
asteroid's precise dimensions. ♪ ♪ The occultation team is led by
planetary scientist Marc Buie. BUIE:
At the beginning of 2021, I noticed, "Oh, look at that,
there's one of these events, "a really good one
with a nice bright star, and it goes right over Senegal." And I've already worked with
the people in Senegal to do two previous occultations. My first thought was,
"I need to call Maram." ♪ ♪ (car horn honks) ♪ ♪ NARRATOR:
Marc Buie has asked Maram Kaire
to lead the mission to record the occultation of one of Lucy's
target asteroids, called Orus. (speaking French) NARRATOR:
His task is to coordinate
a team of astronomers from Africa, Europe,
and the U.S. This will be his third
NASA mission. ♪ ♪ In these boxes are the tools
to capture an occultation-- telescopes, cameras,
and laptops shipped from NASA. But even the best equipment
cannot guarantee success if the sky clouds over. KAIRE:
We are crossing fingers
to have good weather. Also maybe praying just to have all the team are safe
and in perfect condition at the end of this mission. (car horn honking) ♪ ♪ NARRATOR:
Maram is an internationally
recognized advocate for astronomy in Africa. This occultation mission
may take him one step closer to his dream of taking Senegal
to space. To view the event, the team must travel
three hours outside of Dakar. BUIE:
I don't get to pick which
objects come up, where they go, where we need to send crews. That's all dictated
by celestial mechanics and how these things
are moving around the sky. NARRATOR:
Marc needs to know the exact
position and speed of Orus as it orbits around
400 million miles from Earth and the precise location of
the distant star he predicts it will pass
in front of. He estimates the event
will last just 3.2 seconds. Maram and his team have only
one chance to record it. With occultations, if you don't get the data
at the right second, you don't get the data ever. (man speaking on radio) NARRATOR:
Timing is critical. By chance, Lucy is due to launch
almost eight hours after the occultation. ♪ ♪ KAIRE:
And what we are doing now
with NASA is very important. You know, by dealing with these
occultations missions, we are training a young
generation here in Senegal. (people talking in background) MARIE KORSAGA:
Seeing this collaboration is a proof that science, especially astronomy, is a collaborative, inclusive. And this is very important for the development of astronomy
in Africa. SYLVAIN BOULEY:
And Maram is a cornerstone
of this event. It shows that for 15 years, Maram creates really a nice astronomical association
in, in Senegal. He know how to motivate people, and there are more and more people loving astronomy
in Senegal. (talking in background) NARRATOR:
Maram's passion for astronomy
began with an event that shocked the world. KAIRE:
The first contact with space started with the tragedy of the
space shuttle Challenger. It was the first time that I receive information
about space. ♪ ♪ (explosion roars) ♪ ♪ And it was very sad to, to know
that we lost seven astronauts with this tragedy. ♪ ♪ And I started to read books
and getting out to observe the stars,
constellations. ♪ ♪ I was 12 and I decided to start
to build my own telescope. And this is how things began
and never stop. ♪ ♪ It's our first training night,
so each team will have the opportunity to set up
his telescope. NARRATOR:
On the night of the
occultation, ten telescopes will be precisely aimed
at the star that Orus will pass in front of. For just a few seconds,
when Earth, asteroid, and star perfectly align, Orus will block the star's
light, casting a shadow on the Earth that is the asteroid's
exact shape. By estimating the path
and width of the shadow, scientists can determine
where to place the telescopes. To guide the teams, Marc Buie computes
a set of lines designed to cover the predicted region
where the shadow will pass. Each observation team
is given one of these lines, and they must find a location
somewhere along it where they can safely set up. If they can record
the occultation from their vantage points,
Marc will have the data he needs to determine the asteroid's
shape and size-- vital information for
Lucy's fly-by of Orus in 2028. BUIE:
It's one thing to say, "Put your telescope on
this line," and it's quite another
to translate to actually standing somewhere. The last thing you want to do
is be dealing with an angry farmer right at the time of the
occultation. NARRATOR:
Every observation site must be surveyed so there are
no surprises after dark. (speaking French) Salaam alaikum. (speaking Wolof) BAIDY DEMBA DIOP (translated):
I told them we would be back
Friday night with telescopes to observe an asteroid
passing in front of a star. They said, "Okay, no problem." They understood. ♪ ♪ (Salma Sylla speaking French) (wheels spinning) ♪ ♪ (Sylla speaking French) (translated):
You see what can happen. That is why it is important
to visit the sites before we bring
all of the equipment out on the night of the occultation. ♪ ♪ KAIRE:
This occultation is crucial
for NASA's Lucy mission. But it is also part of
a much larger, more challenging mission: to build a space agency
here in Senegal. I believe space is for everyone. NARRATOR:
For 15 years, Maram has lobbied politicians
to embrace these words. To convince them that Senegal's
development challenges can be addressed with
space science. Many African nations
have launched their own small, inexpensive satellites
called Cubesats. These eyes in the sky have proven to be vital
for communications, weather forecasting, and the
prediction of natural disasters. Maram believes they could be
life-changing for Senegal's large
rural population, now at the mercy of
unpredictable climatic events. ♪ ♪ To build and launch
these satellites will take a new generation
of scientists. And Maram Kaire has
another goal. ♪ ♪ KAIRE:
My country is 95% Muslim. And many traditional Muslims
are hesitant to embrace modern science. Near the end of Ramadan,
our holy month devoted to prayer, contemplation,
and fasting, I have an opportunity
to demonstrate how astronomy can help Islam. ♪ ♪ There are many people
interested in learning astronomy
at these events. I can show them
where the crescent will appear by using astronomical
calculations. ♪ ♪ I'm really nervous.
(laughs) It's, it's always the same, because they are all waiting
for this, for this moment. NARRATOR:
Time is extremely important
for Muslims. Islamic law states
the motion of the sun should dictate the timing
of prayers. The Islamic calendar is based
on the phases of the moon. The new crescent moon marks
the beginning of every month and important events
like Ramadan. ♪ ♪ Maram's passion
for modern astronomy inspires many Senegalese people. ♪ ♪ But Muslim authorities here
only accept crescent moon sightings
observed with the naked eye. The Islamic tradition
is to observe the moon using the naked eyes. It comes from a recommendation
of the Prophet. This can cause major confusion. If the crescent is not seen here tonight because
the skies are cloudy, the end of Ramadan will be
delayed for a day. But what if it is sighted
somewhere else in Senegal where there are no clouds? When should Ramadan end? This is a centuries-old dilemma that could be easily overcome
with modern science. NARRATOR:
Tonight, in a compromise,
the committee of imams responsible for calling
an end to Ramadan have given Maram permission
to use binoculars. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ (exclaims) (people talking in background) ♪ ♪ KAIRE:
It's just wonderful, because we was not expecting to, to get
it, because the crescent was very,
very thin, and fortunately, we have the opportunity
to see it, and maybe we'll have also
other information from the country. So we have informed
the national committee that the crescent
was sight here in Dakar. And they have the final word
to decide that the celebration will be tomorrow. NARRATOR: Imam Diene of the
National Commission for Consultation
on the Lunar Crescent declares that Ramadan
has come to an end. ♪ ♪ KAIRE:
Everyone is celebrating
the end of fasting. I have been invited
to be part of a three-hour discussion
about science and Islam at our national broadcaster,
RTS. Well, I don't think that astronomers are celebrities,
or... I'm not just feeling
like a, like a star. Or maybe people
really appreciate the kind of information
we are sharing with them about astronomy, because
practicing their religion depends on this
kind of information. ♪ ♪ NARRATOR:
Tonight, Maram has the
opportunity to talk astronomy with Imam Diene, who has just
called an end to the fast. (speaking Wolof) NARRATOR:
In front of an audience
of millions of Muslims, the imam agrees. Modern science may well be the most accurate way
to sight the crescent. Maram sees this as a major win. KAIRE:
To see this important person
saying that it is possible now
to use astronomical datas is an important step in what
we are doing to find a solution. ♪ ♪ (man chanting takbir
over loudspeaker) KAIRE:
Eid al-Fitr marks the end
of the fast. We give thanks with
a special morning prayer. Prayer is at the heart of Islam. ♪ ♪ NARRATOR:
The type of Islam practiced
in Senegal is Sufism. Maram belongs to the
Mouride Sufi Brotherhood, which is centered
in his ancestral home, the holy city of Touba. (man singing on soundtrack) KAIRE:
I am drawn here today
by a very unusual invitation. A family of Muslim scholars
would like to demonstrate their astronomical practices
to me. NARRATOR:
Maram is about to discover
something that will profoundly change the way
he perceives astronomy in his country: an enclave of scientists
who strive to perfect the measurement of time in the
service of Islam. ♪ ♪ (Cheikhouna Bousso
speaking Wolof) (translated): When you are interested in astronomy, you will become passionate about the universe. You will become a fan of observing what happens
in space. (people talking in background) (car horn honking in background) KAIRE:
I am here to learn about the
work of Cheikh Mbacke Bousso, a highly respected astronomer who lived around the turn of
the 20th century. ♪ ♪ The Bousso family wish
to show me a sundial which they have built in the courtyard of
their mosque. It's based on one of
Cheikh Mbacke Bousso's designs. They still use it every day to find the exact prayer times
here in Touba. NARRATOR:
Because the official time on
a watch is not accurate enough for their needs. (talking in background) NARRATOR:
Official time is tied
to the world's 24 time zones, and is uniform across a region, sometimes even
an entire country. But there's another type
of time, true solar time, which is tied to the
sun's position in the sky at a specific location. Even traveling a short distance
east or west, there's a time difference. Only true solar time gives
Muslims the accuracy they need to pray on time
wherever they are. The best way to find
true solar time is to measure the sun's shadow as it changes throughout
the day. Many of us have now lost
the connection between time
and what happens in the sky, but not the Bousso family. KAIRE:
They are not just trying to use the time like we use it in modern astronomy, but they need for a precise, accurate local time based on the position of the,
of the sun. All the life of the Muslim
are depending on this kind of information
for doing things at the right moment. To build an accurate sundial,
Cheikh Mbacke Bousso needed to understand basic astronomy, and he needed to mark
the trajectory, position, and length of the
sun's shadow hour after hour. ♪ ♪ (speaking Wolof) (translated):
What he used to do
every morning for 33 years, facing east with paper and ink, was to write down the times
of sunrise and sunset in a notebook. (man singing on soundtrack) NARRATOR:
And using the data collected
from his observations, Cheikh Mbacke Bousso calculated the qibla,
the direction to Mecca. The Great Mosque of Touba was
built to his specifications. It's almost noon solar time. At the precise moment the sun's
shadow is at its shortest, it will be 12:00 p.m. Midday is the most accurate
reference point throughout the year. The muezzin sets his
watch by the shadow, continuing a long tradition
of finding time. (man chanting) (man exclaims takbir) ♪ ♪ KAIRE:
How did Cheikh Mbacke Bousso come to learn the basic
astronomy he needed for his tasks? Cheikhouna Bousso tells me he
consulted centuries-old Islamic
astronomy books written in Arabic. ♪ ♪ Comes as a surprise to me that this family of Muslim
scholars still practice astronomy
developed in medieval times. They tell me they would like to
learn about modern astronomy. We have taken different paths, but when we look to the skies, we ask the same question: where is our place
in this universe? They watch the daily movements
of the sun, moon, and stars to perfect their lives on Earth. I watch for the blink
of a star light-years away to help NASA's Lucy mission
reach asteroids that may unlock the secrets of
our solar system and ultimately our own planet. ♪ ♪ NARRATOR:
Maram thought he was
bringing astronomy to Senegal. The Bousso family have shown him it's already here. Maram has many questions. From where did Cheikh Mbacke
Bousso get his books? How did other Islamic
astronomers advance their
knowledge of celestial events? ♪ ♪ Istanbul was the center of the
powerful Ottoman Empire and the hub for all Islamic
sciences from the 15th century right up until the 1800s. Great scholars gravitated to this place to live and work. With them they brought astronomy books written in
Arabic, like the ones Cheikh Mbacke Bousso may have
studied. (people talking in background) NARRATOR:
Maram has come to Istanbul to
meet Taha Yasin Arslan, an expert on the history of
astronomy in the Islamic world. ARSLAN:
Starting from ninth century,
scholars in the Islamic world accumulated knowledge from Greeks, Persians, and
Indians, and, using Arabic, created new scientific
knowledge. And that knowledge could be
used without changing for a thousand years all around
the Islamic world. I studies astronomy in the
Islamic world using astronomical instruments
and timekeeping. The main reason I make these
instruments is to understand the mindset of the people who
were actually using or making them in the medieval times. I learn and I understood that
science in the Islamic world was not
something to be left behind, because astronomy represent all
the developments in mathematical sciences,
in geometry, in geography, in trigonometrical calculations. It is a preparation for the
modern science to build up on. ♪ ♪ NARRATOR:
Taha has invited Maram
to view rare books on Islamic astronomy
written centuries ago. These may be the type of books
Cheikh Mbacke Bousso had in his library. Hi, Mr. Taha. ARSLAN:
Hello! Nice to meet you. Very nice to meet you, too. Welcome to Istanbul. This is a great
pleasure to see you. Good to see you, too. Well, thank you. You have
a very, very nice city. ♪ ♪ ARSLAN:
Süleymaniye Library in Istanbul
contains 90,000 manuscripts, and this is the largest Islamic
collection in the world. One can find any book in
any branches of science. For most of the scholars in the
Islamic world, there is at least one copy of
their book in this library. Oh... These are the replicas of the manuscripts...
(speaking indistinctly) ARSLAN:
So we have a special treat
here. And library allowed us to
have this magnificent manuscript. Yeah. And it is by Jaghmini, who's a
13th, 14th-century astronomer. Mm-hmm. The importance of this book is, it is disseminated all
around the Islamic world. When you have any kind of
information about cosmology... Mm-hmm. ...it will always relate to
this book. And, oh, yes, that's one
of the things. Oh... This is showing the eclipses,
absolutely. Eclipse, yeah. This is the sun,
this is the Earth. I see. And this is the moon. Yeah. This is what we call now basic
astronomy, so... Yes. Yeah, I think that it's,
but for this time, it's very, very impressive
to have this kind of accuracy. ♪ ♪ I like this a lot, because, in some of the pages,
you see so many comments there. Yeah, yeah. And these are
specifically made by people
who are studying this. Yeah. And not always for,
for astronomers. That's the key,
because science is never remaining
in, in some sort of elite group of people. NARRATOR:
But there are also books that
only astronomers would consult. This one has instructions to make one of Islamic science's
most important and complex astronomical
instruments-- the astrolabe. As a person who makes
astrolabes, I actually use this
book and the calculations in this
book in my own productions, as well. NARRATOR:
An astrolabe has many uses, from identifying stars
to finding daily time. It may have been developed by
the Greeks, but it reached its zenith in the
hands of Islamic scientists. They wanted to make better, more accurate instruments
to calculate time. ARSLAN:
This is an Islamic astrolabe. This instrument is actually
a mechanical computer. What you see here is the
projection of the sky for a specific latitude--
this is for Istanbul. NARRATOR:
Etched on the base plate
is the horizon line; precise altitude circles, marking the sun's height above
the horizon; and the meridian,
showing midday and midnight. On top of the base plate
is a moveable plate showing stars and
constellations and a ring that represents the
apparent movement of the sun throughout the year. It's labeled with dates. It starts with one single
observation. And we will actually try to
maintain the position of this, this piece,
exactly aligning with the sun. I think it's now aligned. This is a perfect alignment. And we just read
the, the altitude... Yeah. ...from here to here. Yeah. It's 54 degrees. NARRATOR: That means the sun is
54 degrees above the horizon. The user now turns the
astrolabe over to find the 54 degrees circle on
the bottom plate. Next step, find and mark the
date. It's etched on the ring that
represents the sun's path. Then rotate the plate until the
date aligns with the altitude mark. If you take a piece of string from the center of the
astrolabe through the aligned points, you can read the time from the
rim. The line is like the
hand of a clock. It's four minutes past two
in the afternoon. ARSLAN:
Once we reach that, we can calculate
any time. So that is not a simple-to-use
instrument. Hm. But accurate enough for all
time-keeping applications. ♪ ♪ ARSLAN:
For the Islamic world, time is
much more important than any other region, society, or culture,
because their lives depending on the time-keeping for daily practices of Islam, or yearly practices of Islam, or even lifetime practices of
Islam. ♪ ♪ NARRATOR:
In Istanbul, Maram has learned how medieval
scientists used astronomy in the
service of Islam. This knowledge is still
alive in Senegal today. (murmuring) NARRATOR:
But was there astronomy in
Senegal before Islam? Maram would like to know. He may soon discover that his
country's connection with the stars reaches much
further back in time than he ever realized. ♪ ♪ Clues can be found along a vast
stretch of the River Gambia, where more than a thousand
stone circles have been constructed. They were built over thousands
of years, right up until the 16th century. Many human remains and artifacts have been
excavated at the sites. Scientific research has mainly focused on the burial practices
and rituals of the builders. That is about to change. Maram wants to look at them through the eyes of an
astronomer. KAIRE:
The first time I heard
about these places, I was just asking myself if we can have the same
configuration, the same set-up, between the sample of Stonehenge and these stone circles here in
Senegambia. NARRATOR:
They are one of the largest
concentrations of megaliths so far recorded in the world. But the stone circles are not
well known outside of Senegal, and some of them are
difficult to find. (pulley squeaking) There are not many signs
showing directions to the sites, and the roads and
tracks are like a maze. But the local villagers know
exactly where the stone circles
are located. (speaking Wolof) Merci beaucoup,
merci. NARRATOR:
Maram is joined by
archaeologist Aimé Kantoussan and planetary scientist Marc
Buie, who is also curious about
humanity's ancient connections to astronomy. They will look for evidence of
astronomical alignments at the sites. KAIRE:
You have some megaliths there, on the right. ♪ ♪ BUIE:
The quest that Maram laid in
front of me was to somehow show a different and new aspect to these stone circles than had ever before been
realized. And specifically to say, "Is there a direct connection to astronomical
phenomena?" ♪ ♪ NARRATOR:
They will begin their
survey at Sine Ngayène, the largest stone circle site. It is inscribed on the World
Heritage List as a place of universal value. Neither the local people nor
visiting archaeologists know who built these circles. (bleat) There is no connection between the people who build this kind of sites and the people who are living here right now. It's just, like, they, they build this kind of site,
use them, and they just disappeared. KAIRE:
Aimé tells us that the circles have marker stones facing east. There is a solitary stone
that catches my attention. I think it's important because there are other stones nearby
that may align with it. BUIE:
You're saying this has a special orientation. Yeah. And I'm measuring this angle
here to the second stone. Yeah. Which, according to my
calculations, is where the sun sets at the beginning of the summer at the solstice. Yeah. So when I look this direction,
I confirm the angle, 124 degrees to that rock, is where the sun would rise at
the beginning of winter. So when I look this direction,
this angle is very, very close
to the equinox for the beginning of spring
and fall. NARRATOR: The people who placed
these stones would have observed how the
locations of sunrise and sunset varied over the year. When the sun reached
its northernmost point, it was the longest day,
the summer solstice. At its southernmost point, the shortest day,
the winter solstice. And when the sun rose directly
east, the days and nights were
equal in length, the equinoxes. By aligning stones to these
points, the builders would have
been able to track the seasons. ♪ ♪ (thunder rumbling) ♪ ♪ And Marc and Maram discover
that these stones may demonstrate additional
astronomical knowledge. BUIE:
That small stone there is exactly north
of this stone. KAIRE: Yeah. That's crazy. This one? Yes. Let me check from here. Yeah, I'm facing to the south. Yeah. So this is a great
big compass on the ground. Wow. Cool. I'm smiling just because
it's, it's incredible, wow. NARRATOR:
There were several ways
the stone circle builders could have found north. One way was looking
at the patterns and motions
of the stars. (crickets chirping) BUIE:
Right now you would use
Polaris, but in the past, Polaris won't
be in exactly the right spot, but the stars will still trace
out a circle, if you're paying attention. KAIRE:
Of course. BUIE:
Makes me wonder, which came
first? These stones or the circles? So I'm left with the question
of, why did they care so much about
this? What did they use it for? What was their intent
in setting this up? Is it just to do the metrology for all the other stone circles? Or was it just exploring the
universe? NARRATOR:
And they find the same
alignments at another stone circle site
called Wanar. KAIRE:
Yeah, one-eight-zero. Seems that... Facing east. ...we have a very nice line
here. So is this what you
were hoping to find? KAIRE: Well, exactly what we were
searching for, and what is amazing is to have the same information
from the Sine Ngayène site and
the Wanar site. The Wanar site. And it's, it's incredible. ♪ ♪ BUIE:
I think the historical record for human civilization shows a connection to astronomy
from the very beginning. Understanding the stars, sunrise, sunset,
phases of the moon. All of that work culminates in being able to fly a mission
like Lucy that has to fly
through space launched on a rocket, and end up in the right place to study the
solar system. NARRATOR:
At Cape Canaveral, the Lucy mission is entering its
countdown to launch. While in Senegal,
Maram and his team undertake final preparations
before the occultation. ♪ ♪ (people talking in background) KAIRE:
We are now loading crates
with telescope on the vehicles, and just after that, we are
moving to, to the observation sites
to watch the occultation. (talking in background) ♪ ♪ (speaking French) Bye. NARRATOR:
For the last three nights, the teams have practiced setting
up and aiming their telescopes at the star
Orus will pass in front of. At 1:55 tomorrow morning, they will know if their
preparations have been enough. To be honest, I feel a bit
stress, uh, stress, but I am confident. BOULEY:
I think that we are ready with
the computer, with the telescope, but we hope that the sky will be the same during the next two hours. I'm nervous, I can't hide it. I'm, I'm a little bit nervous. NARRATOR:
The telescope is aimed
at the distant star. The team needs to capture the crucial moments when the
asteroid blocks the star's light. ♪ ♪ The countdown begins. BOULEY:
Please, no more floodlights. (speaking French) (counting down in French) (countdown continues) (countdown ends) BOULEY:
Yes, man. KAIRE:
We got it,
we've got an occultation. (Kaire speaking French) (murmurs) KAIRE:
Whew! ♪ ♪ KAIRE:
Can I dance right now? BOULEY:
Yeah, man! (Kaire laughing) (all talking indistinctly) (slapping backs) I was very excited when
I saw this occultation. It's great, you see maybe my
eyes shining. It's just a great moment. We have the sky very good and
very clear to have our occultation, and just five minute after, the
sky is getting cloudy, so I'm so happy
and it's fantastic. ♪ ♪ (man singing on soundtrack) (talking in background,
applauding) NARRATOR:
All of the data collected
by the teams is sent to Marc Buie, who is waiting
at Cape Canaveral for Lucy to launch. BUIE:
In the hours leading up to the Lucy launch, I was
getting early reports from Senegal that it was
successful, and a picture was emerging of
Orus. NARRATOR:
Marc determines the
asteroid is 31 miles high and 42 miles across. It's elliptical in shape and with some puzzling surface
features. An outstanding result which
will help NASA plan Lucy's
future encounter with Orus. (people talking in background) WOMAN (in video):
Lucy in the sky with asteroids. In L-minus 34 minutes, this Atlas V rocket will send Lucy on the first-ever
space mission to study the Trojan asteroids which share
Jupiter's orbit around the sun. MAN:
Named after the Lucy fossil, the spacecraft will visit eight asteroids
over 12 years, as we seek to uncover
the mysteries of our solar system's
formation. MAN:
Zero. Lift-off, Atlas V takes flight. ♪ ♪ (man speaking on radio) ♪ ♪ (man speaking on radio) BUIE:
The NASA Lucy mission is almost certainly going to be
a game changer. What games is it going to
change? Probably the origin
of the solar system. If that weren't a
big enough topic. ♪ ♪ NARRATOR:
The Lucy mission has taken Maram's dream to build
a space agency one step closer to reality. The successful NASA
collaboration has been praised
by Senegal's president, and Maram has found a deep and
rich history of astronomy in his country. Ancient connections to space he
never dreamed existed that show how humans have always
looked to the skies for answers
about our lives on Earth. KAIRE:
I need to know my place
inside this universe, and watching the stars
and using astronomy is just giving me a sort of
answer. I started very young, and I'm, keep on learning and
searching, and I think that it's the most
wonderful way to, to live my life. ♪ ♪ NARRATOR:
The International Astronomical
Union have recently honored Maram. Orbiting the sun in the asteroid belt between
Mars and Jupiter is asteroid 35462
Maramkaire. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪
