Juno and Jupiter: A Planetary Mission

The Juno  Mission is Nearly There

You’ve probably heard the news: the Juno spacecraft is about to arrive at Jupiter. If not, here’s a heads-up about a major mission to the outer solar system. Juno is headed into a polar orbit around the gas giant beginning on July 4. Then, the mission will take about 20 months to make 37 orbits around Jupiter. During that time, it will completely image and map the clouds of the planet, as well as study its magnetic field, gravity, and other properties. Among other things, planetary scientists hope to see how deep Jupiter’s cloud belts and zones extend into the atmosphere of the planet.  Above the clouds, the mission will study the interaction of the upper atmosphere with the strong magnetic field, and perhaps make progress toward understanding just how that field is generated. If we’re lucky, the mission may help figure out once and for all if the planet has a solid core. There’s long been speculation about that core, ranging from the Arthur C. Clarke idea that it could be a solid diamond!

This is a great follow-on mission to the exploration began by the Pioneer and Voyager missions, as well as the Galileo spacecraft.

Juno is named for the goddess wife of the god Jupiter (in Greek-Roman mythology). She was able to see through the clouds he pulled around himself to hide his hanky-panky activities with other ladies. The spacecraft bearing her name has instruments that will allow it to “see into” the clouds of Jupiter and give us a look at what’s happening beneath. At the end of its mission, the spacecraft will deorbit into the planet, sending information as long as it can before it’s crushed by the weight of Jupiter’s atmosphere.

The orbital insertion comes on the U.S. 4th of July celebrations, in the evening. So, if you’re not out checking out the fireworks, keep an eye on the TV (or Facebook or Twitter) for news about the arrival of Juno at Jupiter. It’s going to be an interesting night and, if all goes well, a fascinating year of studies at the largest planet in the solar system!

Here are some links to keep you informed:

Main NASA Juno page

SWRI Juno page

Juno Twitter feed

Stay tuned!

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