  We study the spatial circular restricted problem of three bodies in the light
of Nekhoroshev theory of stability over large time intervals. We consider in
particular the Sun-Jupiter model and the Trojan asteroids in the neighborhood
of the Lagrangian point $L_4$. We find a region of effective stability around
the point $L_4$ such that if the initial point of an orbit is inside this
region the orbit is confined in a slightly larger neighborhood of the
equilibrium (in phase space) for a very long time interval. By combining
analytical methods and numerical approximations we are able to prove that
stability over the age of the universe is guaranteed on a realistic region, big
enough to include one real asteroid. By comparing this result with the one
obtained for the planar problem we see that the regions of stability in the two
cases are of the same magnitude.
