Juno arrives at Jupiter
The Juno mission, designed to look under the clouds of Jupiter and study its deep atmosphere and interior, arrives at the giant planet July 4th.
After a five year voyage NASA's latest planetary mission arrives July 4th.
Soon the Juno mission will set off fireworks as its engines light up to bring it into orbit around Jupiter on July 4, five years after it was launched. NASA's latest planetary mission is a distinctive one, as it's the first mission dedicated to looking into a planet rather than at one.
Juno's suite of scientific instruments is dedicated to peering under the surface layer of Jovian clouds, and sniffing the chemical signature of its deep atmosphere, surveying the liquid helium ocean dynamo that generates its intense magnetic fields and gauging the gravity of its solid core.
Dr. Steven Levin, Juno Project Scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, says understanding Jupiter's interior will tell us much about the beginnings of the solar system and how planets, especially giant planets, form.
Related Links
- NASA Juno mission
- JPL Juno mission