Juno’s Journey to the Jovian Giant

May 1, 2014

July 2016 will mark a milestone in planetary exploration. With support from SESDA staff, the Juno Spacecraft will enter orbit around Jupiter and circle the planet until October 2017 (equivalent to about one Jovian year). The data sent back from this spacecraft will help unravel the origin and evolution of this gas giant.
Launched on August 5, 2011, Juno’s science instruments are designed to:

  • Determine how much water is in Jupiter’s atmosphere, which helps determine which planet formation theory is correct (or if new theories are needed)
  • Measure the composition, cloud motions, and other properties of Jupiter’s atmosphere
  • Map Jupiter’s magnetic and gravity fields, revealing the planet’s deep structure
  • Explore and study Jupiter’s magnetosphere near the planet’s poles and provide insights about how the planet’s enormous magnetic field affects its atmosphere

When launched, Juno did not have enough velocity to reach Jupiter on its own, and needed a gravity assist from Earth to boost its speed. After a journey around the Sun, the spacecraft passed within 347 miles of Earth on October 9, 2013 – stealing some of Earth’s momentum in the process. As a result of this maneuver, Juno’s speed relative to the Sun increased from 78,000 miles (126,000 kilometers) per hour to 93,000 miles (138,000 kilometers) per hour. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.
When launched, Juno did not have enough velocity to reach Jupiter on its own, and needed a gravity assist from Earth to boost its speed. After a journey around the Sun, the spacecraft passed within 347 miles of Earth on October 9, 2013 – stealing some of Earth’s momentum in the process. As a result of this maneuver, Juno’s speed relative to the Sun increased from 78,000 miles (126,000 kilometers) per hour to 93,000 miles (138,000 kilometers) per hour. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech.

SESDA staff are involved in numerous aspects of this mission. The team is ensuring the proper operation and maintaining the health and safety of Juno’s Magnetometer Experiment, consisting of two magnetometers and the Advanced Stellar Compass (ASC). Of course, acquiring, processing, and disseminating Juno’s scientific data are key elements of SESDA support, and the team is actively working to maintain and enhance the downlink and processing automation software to bring Juno’s data safely back to Earth.

Read more about the Juno mission at the NASA Juno webpage: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/juno/main/#.U1kxf1fHhzb

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