August 2016

NASA’s Juno Spacecraft Explores Jupiter

Juno spacecraft orbiting JupiterJuno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter

Juno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter
This illustration shows the Juno spacecraft in orbit around Jupiter. Its solar array and main antenna are pointed toward the faraway sun and Earth.

Imagine having to travel for five years to reach a destination. That’s how long it took for NASA’s Juno spacecraft to reach the planet Jupiter. Launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on August 5, 2011, Juno began to orbit, or fly around, Jupiter on July 4, 2016. Juno is the second spacecraft that NASA has sent to orbit the planet. Galileo orbited Jupiter and collected information about it from 1995 to 2003.

The name Juno comes from Roman mythology. According to myth, the Roman god Jupiter would cover himself in clouds to hide when he acted badly. However, the goddess Juno, Jupiter’s wife, could see through the clouds, revealing the truth about Jupiter to her. Similarly, the planet Jupiter is covered in clouds. Like in the myth, the Juno spacecraft will also “reveal the truth” about Jupiter. It will do so by orbiting the planet and collecting accurate information about it.

Jupiter is the fifth planet from the sun and the largest planet in our solar system. It orbits the sun just as Earth and the other planets do. It also rotates like the other planets. Yet, Jupiter has characteristics of both a planet and a sun.

Scientists believe that Jupiter formed out of gases left over after the formation of the sun. Like the sun, Jupiter is mostly made up of two gases—hydrogen and helium—and does not have a solid surface. The colorful clouds that surround Jupiter are made up of other kinds of gases.

With 67 known moons in orbit around Jupiter, the planet is like a star in its own mini solar system. By studying Jupiter, NASA hopes that the planet can provide clues about how solar systems form and change over time.

Juno will orbit Jupiter 37 times over about 20 months. During its orbits, the spacecraft will use instruments to collect information about the planet’s atmosphere. An atmosphere is the layer of gases that surround a star or planet. Juno will also measure Jupiter’s gravity and magnetic field. In addition, the spacecraft will take pictures and make maps of the planet’s features.

As it collects information, Juno will send it back to Earth for scientists to study. At the end of its 37th orbit, Juno will fall into Jupiter’s atmosphere and burn up. NASA planned this event to prevent Juno from accidentally crashing into one of Jupiter’s moons and introducing life from Earth, such as bacteria. Even with Juno’s limited number of orbits, it will take scientists many years to study the wealth of information it will provide.

Image credits—article and carousel: NASA/JPL-Caltech
 
Question 1
In what year did Juno first reach Jupiter?





 
Question 2
How many times will Juno orbit Jupiter?






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