Tag: Juno
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NASA’s Juno mission is about to peel back the layers on Jupiter
A version of this story was originally published in Astronomy Now magazine. NASA’s Juno spacecraft, seen here in an artist’s illustration, will become the second mission to orbit the solar system’s king planet. Credit: Lockheed Martin Whether you’re a casual stargazer or armed with a toolkit of observing gadgets, chances are you have caught a…
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Video: When Juno launched to begin 5-year trek to Jupiter
Juno left the Earth atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket on Aug. 5, 2011, beginning its journey to Jupiter atop the most powerful Atlas variant with five side-mounted boosters. Liftoff occurred at 12:25 p.m. EDT (1625 GMT) from Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral, Florida. After traveling more than 1.7 billion miles, Juno arrives…
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Juno successfully completes orbital insertion burn to arrive at Jupiter
After a near five year cruise through the solar system, NASA’s Juno spacecraft has become the second craft to permanently enter orbit of the largest planet in our solar system. The mission to Jupiter is anticipated to last 20 months in a polar orbit orientation to study Jupiter’s formation, composition, gravity field, magnetic field, and…
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Juno switched to autopilot mode for Jupiter final approach
Artist’s concept of the Juno spacecraft at Jupiter. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Four days out from arriving at the solar system’s biggest planet, NASA’s Juno spacecraft received a final uplink of commands Thursday governing the robotic probe’s high-velocity braking maneuver Monday to steer into orbit around Jupiter. Juno will run on autopilot for the rest of its…
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With Juno on Jupiter’s doorstep, Hubble eyes glowing Jovian auroras
Peering a half-billion miles across the solar system, the Hubble Space Telescope has caught a glimpse of brilliant auroras flashing over Jupiter’s north pole as NASA’s Juno orbiter speeds toward the gas giant for a close-up look. Part of Juno’s multi-pronged scientific campaign is aimed to determining how Jupiter’s auroras form and evolve, along with investigations…
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Juno’s British-built engine readied for all-important firing at Jupiter
Artist’s concept of the Juno spacecraft’s Leros 1b main engine firing. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech Ground controllers pressurized the Juno spacecraft’s propulsion system Tuesday to prep for a July 4 rocket firing by the probe’s UK-made rocket engine that will steer the spinning, solar-powered robot into orbit around Jupiter. Kicking off more than 20 months observing Jupiter’s…
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Jupiter and its satellites seen by ‘people’s camera’ on Juno probe
The JunoCam instrument on NASA’s Juno spacecraft took this picture of Jupiter and its four largest moons June 21. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS The visible camera on NASA’s Juno spacecraft is capturing a time-lapse movie of Jupiter and its four largest moons as the orbiter dives toward the giant planet for a July 4 rendezvous, and officials…
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Timeline of Juno’s historic arrival at Jupiter
NASA’s Juno spacecraft must complete a carefully-planned sequence of events as it closes in on Jupiter for a make-or-break orbit insertion burn July 4. The timeline posted below shows the schedule of major events in the weeks ahead of Juno’s arrival at Jupiter, plus the minute-by-minute sequence of steps planned for July 4. Times below…
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Juno right on target for July 4 rendezvous with Jupiter
Artist’s concept of the Juno spacecraft on approach to Jupiter. Credit: Lockheed Martin NASA’s Juno spacecraft, running on solar power more than 500 million miles from the sun, is on final approach for a Fourth of July arrival at Jupiter for a year-and-a-half campaign of exploration. Engineers this week are preparing the probe for a…
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Jupiter-bound Juno spacecraft breaks solar power distance record
Technicians work on one of the Juno spacecraft’s three solar panels before launch. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/KSC NASA’s Juno spacecraft bound for a rendezvous with Jupiter in July has set a record as the most distant solar-powered space probe ever flown. Juno broke the record previously held by the European Space Agency’s Rosetta spacecraft Jan. 13 as…